Remembrance
by smilingsnail
Summary: Tommy, Laurel, Thea, Moira, Quentin, and John are all brought to the future to witness the creation of a hero in order to prevent a tragedy. Basically, they watch Oliver through his flashbacks and his journey to becoming a hero.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to CW, Warner Bros, and the DC comics. I own nothing. This starts after the events of season one episode nineteen. (Check bottom for longer Author's Note)**

Tommy closed his eyes, squeezing them shut as tightly as he could. His body was tensed, and his hands hurt. Glancing down at them, he frowned, unclenching his fists which were now a pale white. The day was waning. A warm arm wrapped around his waist, slowly pulling him away from the counter.

"Are you okay?" Laurel asked, her voice soft. Tommy glanced over at her. Her eyes were gentle in an inviting sort of way. He wished with every fiber of his being that he could tell her everything. Oliver. The hood. The drugs. But he couldn't. Instead, he plastered on a tight grin.

"I'm fine." Her eyes narrowed, and the warm arm around his waist left.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"I took a job with my dad today," he said, offering it up lamely. Laurel took a step back, her expressions softening.

"Did something happen between you and Oliver?" Laurel asked slowly, walking to the wine cabinet and reaching upwards, pulling out a bottle on the top shelf. Tommy watched her grab two glasses, still not fully facing him.

"No." She stopped moving this time and turned around, looking at him curiously. Her eyebrow raised slightly as if prompting him forward. "We just came to terms with the fact that we're not the same people we were five years ago." Laurel frowned, her lips turning downward for almost an indiscernible moment before the poured the wine into the glasses, carrying them over to him.

"Tommy, none of us are. That's not a bad thing." Picking up his glass, Tommy took a sip of his drink, holding it in his mouth for a few seconds before swallowing harshly. "But why take a job with your father?" She pulled his arm over to the couch and they sat down. Laurel sat with her legs crossed underneath her, the glass sitting precariously between her fingers. He, however, set his glass down softly on the floor, leaning forward, his elbows resting heavily on his knees.

"Figured it was the best next step." Laurel huffed at this.

"Tommy." Her voice held warning to it. What could he say? The truth? And have Laurel choose Oliver, leaving him alone? Lie? And have her leave him anyways? "Something's going on with you, and if you don't tell me, I'll figure it out for myself." He looked over at her, his head jerking quickly in her direction.

"Just leave it alone," he said. There was no anger or bite in his words. "For now, just please, leave it alone." She softened her gaze once more, but Tommy knew instinctively that this subject was long from being forgotten.

A red haze flashed by, and she was gone.

"Laurel?" He said, standing up, glancing around. His heart pounded. The glass sitting at his feet fell to the floor, spilling the deep red contents out. "Laurel?" He cried out more urgently, his breath rattling.

And then the red haze returned.

()()()()()()()()()

Quentin Lance sat at his desk with his head in one hand and a pen in the other. It tapped on the desk incessantly. Dr. Webb had been found murdered: arrow through the chest. Lance leaned back in his chair, looking over the reports again. The Count had been left untouched for the most part. One other man had been found dead at the scene. Shock to the heart. Didn't really seem like the hood's handiwork. Maybe it was a partner?

Lance looked at his watch, scowling at the numbers. It was well past eleven o'clock now. He quickly tidied up the papers, placing them back in the manila folder they had been in and grabbed his bag, walking out of the precinct. The air was warm and humidity hung in the air. Pressing his bag closer to him slightly, Quentin looked around the streets for other people. Only a few remained out. A few twenty-something-year-olds stumbled drunkenly, laughing at something that Quentin had a feeling was not quite as funny as they thought it was. His lips tugged downwards in a scowl. Their laughter got quieter as they turned down an alleyway before eventually disappearing altogether. And then, the air was quiet, and a stillness filled around him.

He allowed his mind to slowly drift towards his daughter. His younger daughter. The one who had died, or so they all had thought. Hope bubbled in his chest, but Quentin frowned, shaking the thoughts out. Lance turned down on the street that his apartment was on. When Dinah had first brought him that picture, he had been angry. Not that she was here, not that Laurel had basically tricked him into meeting with her, but because she kept giving him hope. And every time that hope left, it felt like he was losing Sara all over again. It was happening again: an endless cycle of pain.

Lance walked wordlessly up the stairs, entering into his apartment and settling on the side of his bed. His hand crept towards the picture frame on his nightstand, the one that held Sara and Laurel smiling, and picked it up. Pain filled his chest once more looking at them.

He sighed heavily, his body falling backward onto the bed. His eyes closed gently, only seconds before a blur came through, and he was swept away.

()()()()()()()()()

Thea leaned her head gently against her mom's shoulder. The TV flashed in front of them as some stupid sitcom played. Ollie was out tonight. Again. They had agreed that somebody would always be with mom, at least until Walter got back. Apparently, that somebody was always going to be her. Moira glanced over at her, watching as her features hardened.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Mom asked her, and Thea glanced over.

"Don't you get tired of it?"

"The show? I think it's fine," her voice was noncommittal. Thea sighed, picking her head up off of her mom's shoulder.

"Of Oliver. All he does is lie to us." Her mom bit her lip before picking up the remote and muting the television. They had had this conversation before. Thea just had to accept him for who he was now. But she couldn't. Not when she remembered who he was before.

"Everybody has their secrets, Thea," her mom pointed out, an unspoken reference to the whole vertigo incident before.

"But that was different." Her mom simply raised an eyebrow. "I miss him," Thea mumbled out before leaning her head back on the headboard. "The old him I mean." Moira shook her head softly. "At least then I knew he cared about us." All Ollie did now was avoid her. They used to be close, or so she thought. They were closer than whatever they are now at least. Anger welled in her chest, but the feeling was cut short by her mom sitting up straight, tensing. Moira looked directly into her eyes.

"He does care, he may be showing it the same way as he used to, but he does care." The conviction in her voice silenced Thea. Moira settled back onto the bed, and Thea laid her head back on her shoulder. The TV was unmuted, and sound refilled the room.

She didn't even have time to think before she was swept away.

()()()()()()()()()

Diggle sat in the foundry. His eyes scanned over Deadshot's file. He had practically memorized it by now. Oliver sat beside him, a wary look on his face.

"You can take a break, you know," Diggle said, glancing at his friend's sluggish blink in reply.

"Like I said, this is a priority to you, so it's-"

"A priority to me, I get it," he replied. "But you walking around dead on your feet isn't going to help anybody." Oliver gave him a look and rubbed a hand over his face. "Besides, you have a family at home who could use your help."

"I can't do anything to help them. All the leads have turned up dead so far."

"They don't need the hood's help. They need Oliver's help." Oliver glanced at him.

"I don't know how to do it anymore," Oliver finally said after a few beats of silence.

"What?"

"Be a part of a family." The confession wasn't surprising.

"That's because you've spent your nights down here, with me. As much as the city appreciates your contribution, your family misses you. You say you're living a double life, but right now, your living this life and going through the motions as Oliver Queen." Oliver shook his head, not exactly denying his claim.

"Facing bad guys is a whole lot easier than facing a teenage sister and a disapproving mother." Diggle gave him a look, and Oliver just sighed, holding his hands up in mock defeat. "Fine, I get it." He stood up. "I'll take the night off." Oliver walked over towards the steps of the foundry, before turning around once more. "Thank you." His words were filled with sincerity.

"For what?"

"For reminding me what's important." Diggle only nodded, watching as Oliver walked up the stairs and exited. The door clanged shut loudly, and Diggle looked back towards the computer screen, looking over it again.

A red haze filled his vision, and he was gone.

()()()()()()()()()

Barry's hands shook slightly as he looked over at the people in the room. They were all somebody that he had met at some point, past or in the future. But this was different. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly wishing silently that this was just a bad dream. And with the darkness came an onslaught of memories. Of death. He watched as Diggle began to stir slightly on the floor where he lay, and his head rolled to one side. Barry flashed in, placing a trash can nearest to Diggle, smiling sadly as Diggle promptly rolled over and threw up into it. He never did take Barry running him places well. Especially not running through time.

Barry watched as Diggle blearily looked around the room and stumbled over to Thea, placing two fingers under her chin before releasing a sigh of relief and repeating the process for the other's in the room. Barry walked in, his mask off. There was no need.

"They're fine," Barry offered, catching Dig's attention. Diggle looked up at him and his hand flew down to where he had kept his gun before, only to find it empty.

"Who are you?" Dig asked, and then suspiciously glanced around the room. "Where are we?" Barry opened his mouth to answer but was cut short by more stirring. The others were waking up. Quentin sat up, looking around for a few seconds before his eyes rested on Laurel, and he scrambled over to her as she sat up. Barry could hear him talking to her, and Laurel nodded a few times before she scooted over to where Tommy sat. Her hands nudged him, and Tommy sat up finally looking around. Thea and Moira both sat up next to each other before Moira finally pulled herself to her feet, one hand still hovering over Thea's shoulder.

"What are we doing here?" Moira asked, her voice hollow and dry. Quentin finally glanced up, his eyes meeting Barry's and narrowing.

"I'll have you know you just kidnapped a police officer," he said, trying to pull himself up, too. Barry sighed.

"I'm sorry to have to do this to you guys. If there was any other choice, trust me, I would've done it." Barry ran a hand over his face before continuing. "I'm from the future." Quentin and Tommy both laughed humorously. "I'm from a future where every one of you is dead." They quickly sobered up. The disbelief still remained in their faces, however.

"What do you mean?" Diggle asked, taking a step forward.

"I've relived the future so many times. I've tried to change it, and every time it's the same outcome." There was resignation in his voice. Barry looked around the room once more. They were all staring intensely at him. "I'm going to try it from the beginning instead this time."

"The beginning of what?" Quentin asked, the anger from before had since dulled. Barry watched as Diggle frowned before turning to the room, his eyes carefully regarding the audience. There was a small flash in him eyes, but he said nothing.

"The beginning of a hero." Barry motioned for them to sit on a few couched in front of him. There was a large screen, paper thin, set before them. They shuffled silently over, positioning themselves on the couch. Quentin sat on the corner next to Laurel who was holding Tommy's arm tightly. Thea sat down next to him, her arms linked with Moira's, and Diggle sat on the other end. Moira glanced at Diggle, her eyes narrowing slightly, but the group didn't say anything. Barry sighed, attempting to think of something to say. There weren't any words. He grabbed a remote, which only held four buttons, and he clicked the play button. The screen flashed on.

_A boat sailed through a storm. The word's QUEEN'S GAMBIT was prominent on the back. _

"What is this?" Moira questioned. She turned and looked at Barry, a pleading look filling her face. Barry steeled his face, only staring at the screen. "Why are you showing us this?"

_Robert Queen examined a storm report, looking worried._

"Dad," Thea whispered softly. She shifted closer to Moira and their hands clasped tightly together, their fingers intertwined. Everybody in the room knew what was coming.

_ A crewman walked in, drenched, and said the storm was a category two. Robert sighed, recommending the ship turn back. A younger looking Oliver walked in._

_"Are we in trouble?" He asked. _

_"One of us is," Robert said, quickly. Oliver laughed and turned around as a girl's voice called him. Sara Lance stood behind him in lingerie. _

_"Where do you keep the bottle opener on this thing?"_

"Oh," Quentin breathed out. "My baby girl." There was an edge to it, and a renewed anger filled his chest as he looked at Oliver on the screen: a not so gentle reminder of the part he played in Sara's death. He could feel Laurel's hand on his shoulder and he glanced over to her, watching as her eyes grew glassy.

_ "I'll be there in a minute, Sara," Oliver said, a slight smile playing on his face. _

_"You know son, that is not going to finish well for either of them or for you," Robert said, putting an arm around his son's shoulder. _

"He wasn't wrong about that," Quentin bit out. Moira looked over at him, a haunted look filling her face.

"I lost my family, too," Moira said.

"You got him back."

"I didn't get my husband back." Lance huffed slightly but quieted.

_The scene flashed to a bedroom, and Sara looked up at Oliver. _

_"It's getting closer."_

_"That's not very scientific," Oliver said. Sara teased him lightly about dropping out of college. Oliver sat on the bed, replying in the same teasing manner before kissing her. _

_"Laurel's going to kill me. Oh she's so going to kill me."_

Laurel frowned, sadness tinging her anger. She never got the chance to be mad at Sara. She never got the chance because she was so busy grieving her death.

_"Your sister will never know, Come here," Oliver and Sara were back on the bed, and then lightning strikes closer, followed by loud thunder. _

_"Okay, that one was really closer," Sara said, worry seeping into her voice. _

Quentin had now sat up, his back straighter. The room was tense, and Tommy squeezed Laurel's hand in reassurance.

_"Sara we're going to be fine." They return to kissing and then the boat creaks loudly and tilts. Sara screams as they fall. Oliver slowly tries to get up. He calls out for Sara, slightly dazed. He watches as Sara gets pulled out of the room by the water and screams her name once more before he is also pulled under. _

Quentin turned his face away from the screen. Tears pricked at the surface, fighting to get out. "Why are we seeing this?" Lance asked, echoing Moira's words before. "I don't want to see this." The words came out broken. His eyes pleaded at Barry. Barry simply nodded his head towards the screen instead, offering no assistance. Quentin looked over, watching as Moira and Thea were enchanted with the screen. Why did their family get to live, and his have to die?

"Daddy?" Laurel said, and Quentin looked into her eyes. Tears stained her face and a small sob broke free from her lips. He placed an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. They remained there for a few seconds before she pulled back suddenly, wiping her eye and turning back to the screen, avoiding his gaze. He could see the glisten of another tear roll down her face.

_ Oliver resurfaces, this time out of the boat, calling her name again. _

_"Oliver!" Robert shouts. _

"He made it to the life raft?" Moira whispered, mostly to herself. "Oliver said he didn't make it. Why did he lie?" Thea watched as a tear slowly fell from her mother's eyes.

_Oliver calls out for Sara again. Robert pulls Oliver onto the lifeboat. _

_"No, no!" Oliver yells as he rushes towards the edge of the lifeboat. "Dad, she's still out there!" _

Quentin shifted uneasily in his seat. He couldn't help feel a pang of guilt as he thought back to his earlier words to the kid, asking if he had even looked for Sara. A war of emotions fought through him, from guilt, to sadness, and finally landing back on anger. He felt safest there. Laurel shot him a glance, but thankfully remained silent.

"He tried," Tommy whispered. Quentin glanced over, opening his mouth to defend himself, but Tommy's eyes remained glued to the screen.

_"She's not there." Oliver refuses to believe it and shouts once more, before Robert says again, "She's gone."_

_Robert hands Oliver a bottle._

_"Here son, drink." The crewman protests this, but Robert quickly defends his actions, saying Oliver had the best chance of survival. _

_"I'm so sorry, I thought I'd have more time. I'm not the man you think I am. I didn't build our city, I failed it. And I wasn't the only one."_

Everyone except Diggle and Moira looked confused. Moira's head lowered slightly.

"Mom? What does he mean by that?" Thea asked. Moira shook her head refusing to answer. Thea turned her whole body towards Moira this time, her frown deepening. "Mom? What's going on?" Moira opened her mouth to answer but stopped herself, changing her mind. There was a beat of silence before Moira answered slowly, her words careful.

"There are a lot of things that you just wouldn't understand."

"I'm sure," Thea said, her eyes flashing.

_The scene changes, and the crewman and Oliver are both asleep. Robert realizes there aren't enough materials for everyone. _

_ "You can survive this, make it home, make it better, right my wrongs. But you gotta live through this first." Oliver falls asleep again, and Robert shakes him awake. _

_"You hear me, Ollie? You hear me son?" Robert kisses him on the head, and then pulls out a gun a shoots the crewman. Oliver startles awake, confused. _

Thea jumped slightly at the noise. Nobody's eyes wavered from the video in front of them.

"What the hell?" Tommy said.

_"Dad?"_

_"Survive." Robert then shoots himself._

Tommy closed his eyes, bowing his head, out of deference to the man who had been someone he had considered a father, and out of sadness for a man he had considered a brother. The anger eating away at him eased its holding on him slightly. Thea clamped a hand over her mouth, standing up from the couch.

"Oh my God," Thea whispered, repeating herself before backing away from the couch. "I'm not watching this," Thea said, taking another step backward. "How do we even know this is real? This is crazy," she said, her voice rising in pitch at the end of her statement. Moira tugged on her hand, her own shock still evident on her face. "No!" Thea said, pulling her hand harshly away. "How are you all so okay with this? This is impossible!" Tommy stood up, his eyes reddened. He walked over to Thea, grabbing her hand. He gently led her back to the couch, sitting down next to her, and hugged her as tears fell down her face. "It's not fair," she whispered into his shoulder. "He could've lived. He could've come back with Ollie. Why did he choose to die?"

**Author's Note: Hi! I've recently gotten back into the arrowverse and got inspired to write a story. My plan is to currently go through all of the flashbacks and then do a few episodes from each season, and afterward write about what the characters do with the information. If this gets copyrighted or something I'll take it down, but I did try and leave out as much dialogue as I could from the episodes and just write my own description. Would you guys be interested in something like this? Let me know what you think!**

**Stay awesome :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to CW, Warner Bros, and the DC comics. I own nothing. (Check bottom for longer Author's Note)**

Thea resituated herself on the couch, the underparts of her eyes still inflamed and red. Her eyes snapped downwards as she felt a hand being placed on her leg and she looked over, meeting her mom's gaze. Feeling tears well up in her eyes once more, she looked away quickly, breaking eye contact. Wiping them one last time, Thea glanced over at the screen. It was paused. Curiously, she turned around and looked towards the back corner of the room. Barry was watching her, an equal amount of sadness apparent in his eyes. She narrowed her eyes.

"Did you know him?" Thea found herself asking.

"Robert?" Barry asked, his eyebrows jutting downwards in confusion.

"No, Oliver. Like really know him?" As Thea spoke those words, the rest of the group on the couch also turned around. Their eyes watching as Barry sat there for a few moments. For a few seconds, all he did was look at her blankly, her expression unchanging before he straightened his back out and swept a hand through his hair.

"Why do you think I'm doing all of this?" Barry finally said. Silence hung heavily in the air before Moira eventually broke it.

"How did you know my son?" Moira paused for a moment. "I presume the more pertinent question here is: who are you?" The wariness on Barry's face lessened slightly and a smirk played lightly at his lips. There was a lightness to the man, one they hadn't seen before in him.

"My name is Barry Allen. I'm sure we'll get to how I know Oliver eventually." His words held finality, and he picked up the remote and pressed a button. Thea's eyes lingered on him for a moment longer before she turned back around. The screen filled with life once more.

_Oliver pulls himself onto the side of the life raft. _

_"I almost died, I thought I had because I spent so many days on that life raft before I saw the island." The island comes into view. _

"Is that-" Laurel breathed out.

Moira felt a tightening in her chest as she looked at it. She had never seen it before now, it had become almost obsolete in her mind after Oliver came back. But now, looking at it, there was a sense of dread that filled her. This was the place that took five years from her son. She glanced over towards Quentin, watching impassively as he watched the screen, his eyes slightly darkened.

_Oliver drags himself from the water, now away from the life raft. "When I reached it I know I was going to have to live for the both of us." Seagulls cry out, and Oliver wakes up. He screams at them to get away from the lifeboat and his dad. _

Moira watched, and a lump filled her throat. Guilt surged through her. He shouldn't have had to do this. If it weren't for her and her husband's involvement with Malcolm, this wouldn't have happened. She wanted to look away, God did she ever want to. She couldn't though. Oliver had to live this and she could hardly stand to watch it.

_ Oliver sadly mutters his dad's name before throwing up. He warns the seagulls to stay away again. Then, he picks up the body and walks away. _

"What's he doing?" Thea asked, her mouth in an almost permanent frown. Diggle looked over. His gaze softened at her face. It wasn't that she didn't know, it was that she didn't want to know. There was a finality with burial, an acceptance.

_Oliver places the body on some rocks and then finds a book in one of his pockets. He looks confused and there's a strange symbol on the cover. The pages are blank. _

"Why would he have a book with blank pages?" Tommy asked himself aloud.

Dig narrowed his eyes and glanced sideways at Moira. Her face remained stoic. Somebody, whoever it had been who had written this, had gone through great lengths to make sure the secrets were kept hidden. Maybe something they were watching now would help him and Oliver figure out what was going to happen in the Glades.

_As Oliver puts more stones on his father's body, he is shot by an arrow. He cried out, looking around. _

"Oh my God," Laurel whispered, grabbing Tommy's arm and squeezing it to the point where her hand lefts white handprints in their wake. He squeezed back, nausea rolling in his stomach. Any anger he had for Oliver had dissipated, now replaced with worry. The room grew tense. Moira had taken Thea's hand somewhere during Oliver's screams, and she had begun muttering reassurances to Thea. Or maybe they were for herself. Quentin leaned forward, his eyebrows knitting together, worry playing across his features. He wasn't too fond of Queen, but that didn't mean that he didn't still care for him. Something else caught his eye, and his eyes narrowed at the sight of the arrow.

_There's a man with a hood in the distance. Oliver then passes out. _

Diggle lowered his head for a moment, closing his eyes. This was wrong.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Dig said, and he got a few glances from Thea and Laurel, but there was no other reaction. "We shouldn't be doing this," he said louder, more forceful this time, looking at them. "Oliver wouldn't want this." Thea bit her lip lightly. She remembered the time she had walked in on Oliver shirtless. She remembered his face when she even saw the remembrance of his pain on the island.

"Oliver didn't want his family and friends to die, either," Barry said, his voice startling everyone in the room. He was standing now, and a tremor passed through his body. "But here we are."

"You know, how do we even know you're telling the truth? Because you supposedly knew Oliver in the future? What are we supposed to do with that?" Dig said, standing up from the couch and looking at Barry. A spark of electricity ran through Barry's eyes and he crossed his arms. "The Oliver I know wouldn't want his family seeing this."

"You don't know the Oliver I know," Barry said. "But from what you've seen, do you really think I'm just making this up? To what? To hurt him? I'm trying to save him Diggle," he said, the latter half of his statement coming out more so as a yell. Diggle blinked, taking a half step back. He looked at Barry questioningly. There was such a deep sincerity to his eyes that Dig felt the conviction in his voice die down. It still felt wrong, to do this, to watch these things. These were Oliver's memories. "Please, John," Barry said once more, his words coming out as a plea.

Diggle looked at him, his eyebrows slightly raised. He looked around the room, catching the eyes of Moira and Laurel. They held no guilt. Curiosity had won over them. Muttering a quick apology to Oliver, wherever he was, Diggle sighed and walked back to the couch, sitting down once more. The recording had been paused once again, and immediately as he sat down, it began to play.

_Oliver wakes up in a cave with the arrow still in him. _

Tommy couldn't help but wince. Oliver really hadn't been exaggerating when he said a lot happened to him on the island. Hell, this was only the first day.

_ The hooded man enters the cave. _

The tension in the room returned, but Quentin's focus remained on the hood. He leaned back, a slight tinge of satisfaction coursing through him. His suspicions had been confirmed.

_ Oliver questions who he is, and the man pulls down his hood. He is Chinese. Oliver asks why he shot him._

Moira couldn't help but wonder why her son was still alive. If the man was trying to hurt Oliver as they all suspected, he would surely be dead by now.

_ The man replies in Chinese and holds up some herbs and water, wanting Oliver to drink. The man says something else in Chinese. And Oliver takes the herbs and drinks them. The man removes the arrow and Oliver screams once more._

Thea winced, looking away from the screen. She felt a hand take hers, and she looked over, catching the eyes of Laurel. The pain in her eyes reflected Thea's. They looked at each other, searching for a crutch within one another. Thea gave her a light smile in mock reassurance.

_ Oliver wakes up and the man is asleep. He scrambles out of the cave._

_"_Thank God," Tommy found himself whispering as he watched his friend.

_He runs through the forest before eventually getting caught in a net._

"Never mind," Tommy muttered.

"Do you think that's the man's net?" Laurel asked, looking towards her dad. "That doesn't look like something you would find on a deserted island." Lance nodded in agreement, his eyes narrowing slightly. Oliver had said he wasn't alone on the island. Maybe that meant more people than just the man who shot him.

_ The man eventually finds him, and Oliver wakes up to him holding a sword against his neck. The man says something in Chinese again and cuts the rope, causing Oliver to fall to the ground._

"I never thought I'd be happy to see him," Thea said, crossing her arms. Tommy nodded in agreement next to her.

_ Oliver untangles himself and follows the man. A group of armed, masked people find the trap and inspect it._

"Something tells me those aren't the good guys," Tommy said, a lightness in his tone. Laurel gave him a sidelong look but didn't comment.

"Just how many people are on this island?" Lance scoffed as he watched.

_In the cave again, Oliver takes out a photo of Laurel and stares at it._

Tommy felt the jealousy stir in his chest again as he looked over at Laurel. Her cheeks held a slight pink tinge to them, and her eyes held a softness Tommy had only seen directed at himself a few times. A look of love. Lance, on the other hand, looked the opposite.

"Are you kidding me? What, is he going on a trip down memory lane? Wanting to remind himself of the mistakes he made?"

"Dad," Laurel admonished. He looked over, a blaze apparent in his eyes.

"He doesn't just get to hurt you and get away with it." The protest came out weakly, and Lance felt the fight die a little in his chest.

"Obviously he didn't get away with it," Laurel defended, nodding towards the screen.

_The man comes back in with a caged bird. Oliver stares at it. _

_"Shengcun" the man states. Oliver questions what he's supposed to do with it. The man repeats the word_.

Diggle leaned back in his seat. He knew what was coming. Oliver had told him this story. When he had done so, he had done so with ease. But, watching it was completely different. It was strange to see Oliver as the man before he was now.

_"Does that mean bird?" Oliver asks._

"Something tells me that's not what it means," Tommy said, nervousness playing at his words.

_The man repeats it again, and Oliver, frustrates, yells that he doesn't speak Chinese. Oliver pulls out the photo again, apologizing to Laurel. _

Laurel turned and gave her father a pointed look. Quentin didn't meet her gaze_._

_ The man roasts some meat on a fire and Oliver looks over, asking what it is. _

_"I'm so hungry, that smells really good," Oliver says, wandering over to it._

Moira couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he had eaten anything. He had floated out on the life raft for an undetermined amount of days and then landed on the island. She struggled to think of a time before the island where Oliver hadn't had everything that he needed. She struggled to think of a day where she had gone without food or water.

_ Oliver reaches for it but the man pushes him back. Oliver grows frustrated again, and the man simply repeats the word. _

_"I'm not going to kill the bird," Oliver says. _

Quentin's gaze softened slightly.

_"Shengcun." Oliver looks at the bird. _

_"Hey, please. I'm starving. I've never killed anything before," Oliver pleads. _

A pang of sympathy ran through Lance. He had regarded Oliver as a cold-blooded killer. But now? Watching him struggle to kill a bird? These were not the actions of a monster.

_ The man ignores him, and Oliver opens up the cage, picking up the bird. _

_"I'm sorry," Oliver whispers, looking away as he breaks the bird's neck. _

Tommy took in a deep breath, his earlier words to Oliver haunting him. The man wasn't a murderer. Oliver had tried to explain, and he hadn't listened. Moira looked downwards, barely containing her cry out. Oliver had held such an innocence within him, at least before the island he had. She had always tried to protect him no matter the cost. But she couldn't protect him from this. She was forced to watch her baby lost his innocence right in front of her. And she couldn't do a damn thing. She was vaguely aware of Thea sniffling next to her.

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Kind of a short chapter this time, but I wanted to update you guys! I'll make it longer next time! Anyways, let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys! A special thanks to ****GabuTheDragon, ****SandorthienLiza, and pmbbfor their kind comments! To address SandorthienLiza's concern, this will not be an Olicity fic. I doubt I'll include any pairings in this to be completely honest. **

**Stay awesome! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to CW, Warner Bros, and the DC comics. I own nothing. (Check bottom for longer Author's Note)**

Moira silently regathered herself, taking Thea's hand. Squeezing it lightly, she turned her attention back to the screen.

_Oliver ate the bird by the fire._

To say she didn't feel a twinge sadness to watch him eat would be a lie. The moment was bittersweet: Oliver had first been forced to lose a part of himself in order to survive. Moira glanced over to Thea, whose hand still lay precariously within hers. Her features had relaxed considerably since a few moments before, and Moira felt a smile spread across her face despite what they had just seen. Thea and Oliver had always had a special bond. They were normal siblings: they fought, they yelled, they ratted on each other. But she watched them lean on each other. She watched them look out for one another. Her lips tipped upwards as she thought of the Christmas parties. She and Robert used to sit and watch the two have their candy cane eating contests. She watched Thea's face light up every time she won, and she watched Oliver turn to her, give her that smile, the one that always made her smile, and a wink. He had let her win. He always let her win.

That was something that the island hadn't taken away from Oliver. It was something the island couldn't take away from him.

_ The man repeats the word again. Oliver states he understands that it means bird. _

_"Shengcun not mean bird. Shengcun mean survive." _

"So, he speaks English," Tommy pointed out, obviously, to the room. "I'm sure Oliver's pissed." Thea nodded, a smile lighting up her face. Whether or not they completely understood the Oliver that came home, they definitely knew the Oliver that had left.

_ Oliver looks annoyed at the man and disbelievingly acknowledges that the man speaks English. _

Tommy and Thea exchange a glance, smirking.

"Why'd he hide the fact that he spoke English from Oliver, though?" Laurel asked, looking between the two. They both shrugged, synchronized, and their eyes narrowed. slightly.

"Probably to show that survival wasn't going to come easily," Diggle said. He glanced over at Oliver's sister. Thea turned and looked at him.

"Well, it probably would've been easier if he had just told Oliver what to do from the start." Diggle met her gaze for a few seconds before turning back to face the screen. This wasn't something she would just understand by being told. It was something she would have to live through to truly understand. You don't learn the hardships of survival by being told about them.

_ "You won't survive this place. Bird not last thing you kill." _

Tommy shifted in his seat, slightly uncomfortable. Yeah, so maybe he didn't exactly agree with Oliver's methods, but he was finding it increasingly more difficult to disagree with them. He looked down at Moira and Thea, frowning inwardly. If these videos were going where he thought they were going, the bird wasn't going to be the last that they would watch him kill either. That meant exposing Oliver. To his family. To a police detective hellbent on arresting him. Worry fluttered in his chest for a moment, and he watched out of the corner of his eye as Quentin looked over at him, an almost unreadable expression on his face.

_ The man holds up the picture and tells Oliver to forget about her and that he will not survive if he doesn't. _

Laurel frowned. For so long she had been angry at Oliver for leaving with her sister on that boat. She had convinced herself time and time again that he had never cared for her at all. But, watching this, it was different. She glanced over at Tommy, who was watching her, his expression schooled. She grasped his hand in hers, giving him a light smile. They were watching the past, not the present.

_ The scene then changes and a rabbit is shot by an arrow. The man shot it. He instructs Oliver to go get the animal, and Oliver protests, asking to switch roles and for him to instead shoot the animals. _

"Oh, this is not going to go well," Tommy muttered. Quentin looked over, one eyebrow raised. The two men met each other's gaze, sizing up one another. Quentin gave him a small smirk and turned back towards the screen. The worry in Tommy's chest returned, his time pulsing with every beat of his heart. He knew. Lance knew.

_The man hands Oliver the bow. Oliver questions him. _

_"Try. Breathe. Everything breathe. Breathe, aim, fire." The man shows him how to shoot the bow. He tells Oliver to shoot the tree. Oliver shoots, and the arrow misses. _

Thea giggled to herself, and even Diggle couldn't help but smile at the poor attempt. He had almost been expecting Oliver to be a natural at it.

_The man says something else in Chinese and Oliver asks what it mean. _

_"You will die badly. Get," the man answers. _

Tommy wanted to laugh, but he couldn't help but wonder if what the man said was true. He found himself turning around to look at Barry, whose eyes had glazed over. They stared at nothing. A moment passed, and then Barry blinked once and looked over at Tommy. The man looked to have aged ten years in the span of a sentence.

_ Oliver goes and gets the arrow. As he bends down to pick it up, two men attack him and cover his mouth to stop him from screaming. _

Everyone on the couch except for Quentin and Diggle jumped sharply.

"Who are those guys?" Thea asked. Thinking back briefly to his polygraph with Oliver, Quentin grimaced. Whatever was going to happen next wasn't good, and it wasn't something he wanted Laurel to watch. Years of resentment towards Oliver had piled up, each one like a building block in a Jenga tower. The videos were poking at the very foundation. He couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for Oliver course through him.

_They lead him through the forest and throw him in a cage in the ground. Oliver looks out and pleads with them._

_"Wait, wait. You can't just leave me here. Don't do this to me, please!." The man hits Oliver with the gun through the bars and Oliver screams. "Please! I didn't do anything." _

Thea and Laurel flinched visibly. Tommy looked away from the screen. To watch Oliver go through this made the guilt in his chest grow tenfold, his breathing coming out raspier. He wanted to reach over to Thea and Moira, to offer some sort of comfort. After all, they were all family in a way. But he couldn't bring himself to. What comfort could he even offer? 'I'm sorry that your son suffered five years in hell and we barely looked for him?' 'I'm sorry that he came back and the minute he opened up to me I turned him away?'

_ The men bring Oliver to a camp and throw him in the tent. _

Laurel frowned, and Quentin looked over, giving her a questioning gaze.

"This island is far from deserted," she said, slowly. Her eyes lingered on the screen for a few more seconds. Quentin nodded, prompting her forward. "How come nobody thought to look? How come we never even heard of this place before Ollie came back?" Quentin blinked.

"The people on this island don't exactly look like they're on a nice vacation. Something tells me this place doesn't show up on the top ten places to visit." Lance added a dry chuckle to the end of his sentence. Laurel only sighed in response.

"We thought he was dead, Laurel," Thea said, looking over. "You don't really need to look for a dead man."

_Oliver looks up to see a man sitting. The man instructs him to sit and claims he makes him feel rude. _

"Okay, so who the hell is this guy?" Tommy asked.

_Oliver sits. The man apologizes for Oliver's treatment, saying that they view people as hostiles. He then introduces himself as Edward Fyres and asks who Oliver is. Oliver tells him his name and tells the story on how he was shipwrecked here. He tells Fyres that his family has money and would pay for his return. _

"I don't think that's what he wants," Quentin muttered, not out of spite, but rather out of disappointment.

"What else would he want, though?" Laurel asked. "From my experience, money is what drives these guys."

"For some men, conviction has a stronger hold on them than money does," Diggle said, causing Laurel to glance over. "That, or whoever is paying him pays him a hell of a lot more than whatever he believed the Queen's would pay him." Quentin scoffed lightly.

_"Well, I look forward to that. But for a moment let's just talk." Oliver asks about what. Fyres shows a picture of the man Oliver was with to him. Fyres asks if Oliver knew him. _

"Why would he want to know?" Thea asked absently. Moira bit her lip.

_"No," Olivier says. _

"Why is he lying?" Laurel asked.

"To protect him." Moira sighed, wishing her son would've just told the truth. But Oliver's loyalty, although sometimes misguided, was one of the things Moira had admired in Oliver for years. It was in that way that he reminded her of Robert. She paused, thinking. Maybe not so loyal romantically speaking, though.

_Fyres repeats Oliver, looking unconvinced. "No, who-whose he?" _

_"You're a poor liar," Fyres says and puts the photo down._

Thea wrung her hands together. They were sweaty, now. She looked between the other people, looking for some sort of comfort within them. They all looked equally as uncomfortable as she did.

_He offers Oliver one more chance to tell the truth._

"Please," Moira found herself whispering to Oliver, knowing damn well it wouldn't change a thing. Oliver would never give the man up.

_ Oliver states he thought he was on the island alone and that he doesn't know the guy. _

Quentin couldn't help but feel impressed. He had viewed Oliver essentially as a monster for so long, it didn't even cross his mind that Oliver would risk his life for a man he didn't know, or barely knew. Hell, did they even know his name?

_Fyres then asks if Oliver knows the name of the island. Oliver shakes his head. _

_"We're on Lian Yu. Mandarin for purgatory. And I can make it feel like hell." _

Moira felt dread growing in her stomach as she looked at the scene before her. A small whimper escaped her lips as she looked at the fear on her son's face.

_Fyers walks away from the table. "I don't know why you're protecting him, Perhaps you don't know either. Think about it while you're begging for death." _

"Mom?" Thea whispered, looking over at Moira, her eyes widening. Moira looked back to the screen as soon as they made eye contact, feeling the breath leave her body. How could she be strong for Thea? How could she be expected to be strong for her?

_Fyres walks out and passes by a man with a mask, saying Oliver is all his now. The scene changes and Oliver is tied against the support. _

Moira let out a small, choked sob, putting her hand over her mouth as she did so.

_Fyres asks where he can find the man. _

Laurel shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. Tommy grabbed her hand but didn't look over.

_Oliver doesn't respond. Fyres nods towards the man and the man lifts Oliver's shirt and slices his abdomen. Oliver screams. _

"Oh," Moira whispered brokenly, and Thea shiver, grabbing her arm so tightly as to leave a bruise. Tommy felt sick. Nausea rolled through his stomach. Quentin felt guilt course through him. He thought back, once again, to the polygraph. He had interrogated him, practically bullying him into telling him about his time on the island, making him relive this.

_The man slices again and Oliver screams louder. _

Thea was crying now.

_Oliver then hangs limply from his restraints._

Laurel turned to Tommy, a tear falling down her face. He pulled her in his eyes and resting his head on her shoulder. Her body shuddered momentarily before she pulled back. Her face was red now. Tommy could feel his own tears welling in his eyes, his brain cruelly replaying Oliver's screams, something he feared would grow to haunt him. He quickly looked away from Laurel, squeezing one hand tightly on his pant leg, bunching up the fabric in his hands.

Diggle steeled his face, but winced inwardly. He had seen men go through less and come out worse.

_"Amazing. You have resolve I didn't credit you for. Or perhaps he truly doesn't know anything. You should put him out of his misery." _

Moira had to consciously remind herself that Oliver came home. He had lived. The thought didn't help much.

_Fyres begins to walk away. The man from the cave comes in, tackling Fyres and shooting Oliver free. _

"Thank God," Thea whisper, her body instantly relaxing.

_ Oliver collapses to the ground. He shoots at the man in the mask but the man simply catches and breaks the arrow. _

"Holy shit," Tommy whispered. He absently wondered if the Oliver that came home could beat this guy.

_The two men fight and the man with the mask is knocked down. The man from the cave helps Oliver up and they escape._

The people on the couch collectively untensed.

_ They enter the cave and he lays Oliver down. _

_"I tell you. Island dangerous. But you not tell them where to find me. You stronger than I thought. Take it. I lead them off you stay." The man gives Oliver a pouch of herbs. Then he tells Oliver to breathe in order to survive longer. Oliver tries to get up and come with the man but he stumbles and is blocked by falling rocks. _

Thea felt conflicted. On the one hand, she understood the man was just trying to protect Oliver. On the other, it seemed that every time he left Oliver alone, something bad happened. She feared this time would be no different.

_The scene switches again and Oliver sat next to a fire, tearing pages out of the notebook and throwing it into the fire. _

"There's that notebook again," Tommy said curiously. Diggle, on the other hand, frowned. Oliver had never told him that they never had the complete list. He glanced over towards Moira again, watching her reaction carefully. He watched a spark of relief pass over her face, but nothing more. They were missing something. Something big.

_Suddenly, a hand grabs his shoulder. It is Robert. _

"Is he alive?" Thea exclaimed, sitting up straight in her seat. Her mom looked over, frowning. Images of her dad shooting himself in the head cruelly made their way back into Thea's mind. She sat back. "Right."

_ Oliver shoots up, looking at his dad in shock. Robert looks angry, saying he begged Oliver to survive. He then hands Oliver a gun, saying there's still one bullet left if Oliver doesn't think he can survive. _

"What?" Thea found herself asking again.

"It's just a hallucination," her mom said, laying a hand on her shoulder. She shook it off.

"I know. But why would his mind see dad handing him a gun to kill himself? Why would he think that's what dad would've wanted?" Moira sighed.

"He probably didn't think that's what Robert wanted." Moira paused for a moment. She sighed. "That's probably what Oliver wanted." Thea shook her head, whispering the word 'no' over and over.

"No, Ollie wouldn't just give up like that. He wouldn't just stop fighting." Nobody answered her.

_Oliver tries to take it but Robert pulls back, saying his death is made meaningless by his. Oliver takes it, saying he is starving and is going to die anyway. He wants his death to be quick like Robert's._

Thea scoffed to herself.

_ Robert says he can survive this and Oliver denies it and apologizing. He holds the gun to his head. He pulls the trigger and nothing happens._

Moira couldn't help but feel a trickle of relief. She had understood on a conscious level that it was just a hallucination, but watching her son put a gun to his head didn't make it feel any less real.

_ Oliver throws the gun to the floor and acknowledges that this isn't real. Robert says he betrayed him and that he died so Oliver could live. Robert says Oliver threw the gift away, making the sacrifice empty._

"Was it really a sacrifice?" Laurel said, bitterly. "Killing himself in front of his son?"

"He was saving the supplies for them," Moira defended, anger flashing in her words. Laurel didn't get to judge her family, her husband.

_Oliver says he isn't strong like Robert. _

Diggle shook his head a little. Oliver may be a little misguided, a little vulnerable when it came to matters of the heart, but he was the strongest man he knew. In all accounts.

_ Robert says he isn't the man that Oliver thinks he is, and then expresses regret about what he's done and was about to do. _

"What does he mean by that, Moira?" Quentin asked, looking over.

"I have no idea." Quentin frowned. She knew more than she was letting on. Odds were, Oliver knew that too. That's why he had shown up at his mother's office that night. His eyes narrowed. What was really going on?

_Oliver asks what it means. Robert gets angry, telling Oliver to right his wrongs. He says it's Oliver's responsibility._

Diggle sighed. He could see how these words were still affecting Oliver to this day.

_Oliver asks how. He says he can't even get off the island. Robert puts a hand on his shoulder, saying he's sorry for not telling the truth and says he loves Oliver. _

_Oliver wakes up, panting. _

"A dream," Thea found herself whispering to herself.

"A nightmare," Tommy corrected, looking over at her. She expected him to be grinning as per usual, but he looked wary. Tired. There was no lightness to his face.

_ He pulls out another page and holds it over the fire. Words appear. _

Moira narrowed her eyes. Oliver had discovered the list. Then, why-

She stopped. Her eyebrows raised slightly. Oliver had the list. The hood was targeting the list. From what she had seen- the torture, the arrows. The green hood. God, how had she not put this together before? Barry had even said that they were watching the beginning of a hero. She looked down the couch, searching for any sort of recognition in their faces, any sign that they knew too.

She saw none. For now, at least.

_Oliver puts the book over the fire, watching as more names appear._

_"My responsibility," Oliver says, "I promise dad."_

"What is that list, anyway?" Tommy asked. "I mean, how could it even be his responsibility if he didn't know what it was?" Tommy looked back, raising an eyebrow at Barry, who shrugged. "Oh, come on. You've been pretty quiet back there. Care to share anything?"

"Not particularly," Barry replied. "This isn't my story to tell."

**Author's note: Hey everyone! How are you guys doing? After I posted the last chapter I found out that I had guest reviews that never posted on the first chapter because I didn't know I needed to moderate them. Oops! So, thank you to those guests for your kind words! I'm sorry my thank you is a chapter late, though : (. A big thank you to Stephane Klein, Flaremage, summeronice, TheHoodedAssassin,SandorthienLiza, GabiShea17, and to those few guests! And also, merci beaucoup to Evy 47! Anyways, I love hearing from you all! Have a great week!**

**Stay awesome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to CW, Warner Bros, and the DC comics. I own nothing. (Check bottom for longer Author's Note)**

Tommy sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping downward. The television had been momentarily paused, Oliver's face still frozen on the screen. The silence allowed his mind to wander to the world that Barry had taken them from. Were they even still on Earth? Tommy supposed it didn't really matter in the long run. But, the more that he watched, and the more he thought about home, the more he wondered if he ever really knew the people around him. Oliver was a no brainer. A stranger in some ways, familiar in others. But his dad? With the gun and the fighting? Secrets had begun to infect his world.

Maybe it was already infected, and these were just the symptoms.

Tommy leaned back in his seat, his legs shifting against Laurel's. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at her. She was talking to her dad, her voice hushed. The hair that had been tucked behind her ear had fallen forward, brushing lightly against her lips. His heart squeezed painfully. Things would never be the same between them. He knew that, but he was also pretty sure that she didn't. Laurel turned back to him, apparently the conversation with her father over, and she took his hand in her own, giving him a shaky smile. God, he loved her.

The television was still paused, and Tommy frowned, turning around to look at Barry, who was staring at nothing in particular. Tommy held his gaze for a few more moments, hoping to eventually catch his eye. He never did.

"So, where are we?" Tommy asked, breaking Barry's trance. Barry glanced at him, apparently surprised. "Or, should I ask, when are we?" Barry grinned at him. Tommy instantly was reminded of Oliver in this moment. The switch that he could just turn off and on at a moment's notice, to turn into some goofy, lovable person, untouched by pain. Barry could do it, too.

"I see why Oliver liked you so much." Tommy raised an eyebrow. 'Liked?' "I took you guys to a neutral location from when I'm from. Don't worry, though. You'll all end up at the time and place I picked you up from." Tommy didn't even bother trying to understand it. Time travel was weird.

"That didn't answer his question," Quentin said. Tommy glanced over at him, and they made eye contact for a second.

"Technically?" Barry questioned. Quentin raised an eyebrow.

"Is there an untechnical part to this answer?" Barry smiled, opening his mouth to answer. "You know what? Forget I asked. What's the technical answer?"

"We're technically in the year twenty-forty-six." Quentin scoffed. Loudly. Tommy honestly didn't blame him.

"You have some way to prove that?" Barry looked at him, remaining quiet for a few seconds. His eyes lingered on Quentin's face for a few moments, and Tommy watched as the switch within Barry changed again. The pain was back. There were a few more beats of silence, and then Barry sat back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. Tommy watched Barry's hand tremble as he did so.

"I can prove it," Barry said slowly. "Just later." Barry nodded towards the screen. "Right now," Barry's voice hitched slightly, "this is more important than a tour around Star City." Quentin didn't say anything, his face void of emotions. But, he seemed appeased. Tommy, on the other hand, couldn't help but wonder why they would change the name of the city. And at that, bother changing it to something four letters different than the original name.

"What are these exactly?" Laurel chimed in. "I mean, how did you get these?" Tommy was confused for a second before he realized she was referring to the videos. Good question. Barry's face fell, his mouth twitching downwards.

"They're Oliver's memories. Well, most of them at least. It's a compilation of multiple people's memories." His eyes scanned the room. Tommy tilted his head to the side slightly. "This is the future, ya' know." His tone was joking, but his words held finality to them. Quentin apparently didn't take the hint.

"So we're just supposed to believe you?"

"Quentin, do you really not believe me?" Barry's eyes were wide, curious almost. Tommy leaned back, thinking for a moment. There hadn't really been a moment where he had doubted what he was seeing. He had just kind of accepted it from the beginning. If this all was some sort of elaborate prank, then consider him punk'd. Barry watched Quentin, who just turned back towards the screen, a scowl half-heartedly spread across his face. The television resumed. Apparently, the conversation was over.

_Oliver lay against the wall of the cave. He looks groggy._

Every time the television started, Tommy flinched. Each time it paused, he found himself hoping that this was all some sort of cruel joke. But the videos resumed, and so did the nightmare. The problem was that he knew things were going to get worse. The Oliver that came home wasn't the one they were watching. The hell they were watching was nothing compared to the hell they were going to see.

_ The man returns, stating that it is good that Oliver is not dead. _

"No thanks to him," Thea said bitterly. She knew that the man had been trying to help Oliver, she wasn't stupid. He could have gone about "saving" him in a different way. Maybe a way that didn't involve Oliver nearly starving to death?

_ He brings water and a rabbit. Oliver asks where he has been. He says he ran out of food and water days ago. _

"Damn, how long was he down there?" Tommy murmured to himself. He glanced over, catching Moira's glassy stare. She had been quiet for a while. Tommy mentally noted to talk to her later. Watching this was hard, but he was Oliver's best friend, not his sister or mother.

_ The man walks out of the cave and Oliver calls out to him, asking him where he is going. _

"Is he leaving him again?" Thea asked, this time more directed at the rest of the people on the couch. Nobody spared a glance in her direction, not even Diggle, who had been keeping a careful eye on her the whole time. Nobody had an answer, anyway. She frowned, sitting back and crossing her arms. Fine.

_ Oliver is about to drink the water when the man comes back and throws Fyres on the ground. Oliver punches him. _

Quentin couldn't help but feel a twinge of happiness flutter through him. What could he say? The man was an asshole, he deserved it.

_The man throws Oliver back and Oliver protests, saying he is the person who had him tortured. He says that Fyres would have killed him if the man hadn't showed up. The man hands Oliver a knife and tells him to kill Fyres. _

"What?" Thea exclaimed. "He wouldn't actually do that." Tommy looked at her, steeling his face. "Would he?" Moira glanced over, offering her a smile of support. It didn't reach her eyes. Thea leaned back in her seat, chewing on her lip, her eyebrows narrowed in worry. She couldn't help but cast a worried glance over towards Quentin. If Oliver did anything even slightly incriminating, she knew he would stop at nothing to incarcerate him.

_He then says that Fyres can take him home. The man says that Fyres has a way for him off the island._

"Something tells me this doesn't work out too well," Tommy said. Moira gave him a scathing look, but said nothing. He frowned inwardly. Part of him wished that Oliver was here with them. It felt wrong to watch this part of his life without him. He had tried so hard to keep his past from them. Tommy wanted to respect that, he really did. Part of him was glad Oliver wasn't here. Tommy didn't know if he would ever be able to look Oliver in the eyes after this. Not without sympathy, or pity, or something. God, he wished he could go back to not knowing.

_Oliver, the man, and Fyres are walking in the forest._

Diggle sighed. The man was powerful. He wouldn't let himself become a hostage without some sort of plan in place.

_ Fyres says that Oliver is a good man and that he could see it underneath the privilege and wealthy upbringing. _

Thea huffed. So privilege meant she was a bad person?

_He says he saw it when he torture Oliver and Oliver wouldn't give up his friend. Fyres then asks what Oliver knows about the man. _

Diggle tilted his head slightly to the side, watching the screen. As much as he hated the man, he was right. Oliver was only going on his instinct in trusting the man. Sure, the man had helped him, but what did that really mean. Diggle couldn't help but think back to Ted Gaynor. Trusting people hadn't really worked out in his favor.

_ He then asks if Oliver knows what the island really is. He says it's a prison._

"What?" Moira exclaimed. She couldn't help but see some truth to the man's words. Even if the island wasn't literally a prison for criminals, it was still a prison. At least it was for her son. One he didn't deserve to be in.

_He said the Chinese operated the island as a penitentiary. The criminals here were so dangerous that they couldn't be on the mainland. _

As he heard the rest of the people on the couch take a deep breath in, Quentin instead narrowed his eyes. After finding Oliver they hadn't heard anything about this island being a prison. He called bullshit.

_ They came to dispose of the men except for two. The man is one of the two men. Oliver asks who the other is and the man says it is the person that tortured Oliver. _

"Yeah, right," Thea muttered. As if the man who had saved Oliver and the man who had tortured Oliver were even remotely the same. The man may have left Oliver for dead, but he never actively pushed him towards death like the masked man did.

_ Oliver protests and says Fyres tortured him. Fyers defends himself by saying he had information that he needed. He then asks Oliver what he would do to capture the man who slaughtered dozens of people. Oliver pushes him forward._

Moira couldn't help but be slightly relieved as she watched him push Fyres away. Oliver had always been a little too trusting of the wrong people.

_ The man hands the radio to Fyers and tells him to call his people and to tell them to bring the plane. Fyres says there's no need and that his people will be there shortly. _

Quentin sat back in his seat, but his satisfaction was instantly met with worry. It didn't seem like Queen had the best of luck in these situations. He glanced over at Laurel, whose face held the same amount of worry on it. Watching as Tommy whispered reassurances to her, he turned back to the screen, pushing down the feeling of happiness at the sight. His pride could only afford to forgive one billionaire playboy today, and the man his daughter was dating was not on the list.

_Fyres then asks if the man didn't think it was convenient that he was captured so easily._

Diggle hated being right. At least when it came to being right about things that involved Oliver he did.

_ The man that tortured Oliver appears, and the man from the cave tells Oliver to run. Oliver runs as the men fight. _

"Thank God," Laurel whispered to herself. There were times to play hero, and this was not one of them. Oliver was a lot of things when he left, but he wasn't a fighter.

_Oliver runs to hide behind a tree and holds a knife._

Tommy couldn't help but let out a light scoff. The Oliver now? Sure, he could do some damage with that. The Oliver then? He could hardly cut a piece of steak, let alone defend himself against an armed soldier.

_ He watches as Yao Fei was captured. Oliver makes a fire and warms his hands. _

"I never took him for a boy scout," Quentin said.

_He hears a noise and quickly covers back up the fire. A man comes around with a gun and sees the remnants._

The tension returned to the room, but not nearly as strong as before. The masked man wasn't there, and neither was Fyres. Whoever the soldier was, he was only half the threat Oliver had been facing before. And he had lived through each of those times. At least, that's what they all tried to tell themselves. Seein the gun in the man's hands didn't ease the tension.

_He radios to somebody and says he has contact. Oliver hides behind a tree. His hand shakes. He runs out to attack the man and drops the knife as the man begins choking him. _

"Shit," Tommy swore. Nobody chastised him. Tommy didn't know why he felt so worried in the moment. He knew at least one of them lived, and unfortunately for the man, Tommy knew it wasn't him. It didn't help. Tommy glanced down towards Thea and Moira, each clutching each other.

_They then fall and roll down the hill. They hit a rock and Oliver falls into water. Oliver is floating face down in the water. _

Moira glanced away from the screen, biting her lip. Oliver looked dead. He looked dead, her baby boy. It was no comfort in this moment that he had returned home. Where was he now?

_The man is on the rock, apparently dead. Oliver then jerks upwards and takes a deep breath. He looks at the body._

Quentin couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Oliver's first kill was an accident. He inwardly flinched at his words. His _first _kill. It was the first time in a long time where he didn't blame Queen for Sara. It almost felt wrong.

_The scene changes and Olivier has switched clothes with the man._

Tommy's mind couldn't help but conjure up the mental image of Oliver trying to strip the man and change clothes with him. He didn't know whether to feel uncomfortable or amused. Probably both.

_ He then buries the man under some leaves and walks away. He pulls out a map and inspects it. He puts it back in his pocket and grabs a gun and cocks it._

Diggle wondered if Oliver had ever even held a gun before now. It looked unnatural in his hands, especially after months watching him exclusively with the bow and arrow.

_He climbs up and hears people talking and then quickly pulls the mask over his face and enters the camp. He gets in line for food. Another soldier walks up to him and says different day same slop, then asks if Oliver is new. _

Thea shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Wherever this was going, it wasn't going to end well for Oliver. He was never a good liar, in fact, he seemed to have gotten worse since he got home.

Thea stopped herself.

He hadn't gotten worse. His cover stories were undeniably horrible, that much was true, but the way he lied to her and mom, putting on a façade that he was okay after all of this, that he was the same playboy that had left, Thea couldn't help but wonder just how good of a liar Oliver truly was.

_Oliver says yes and then asks where he's supposed to go as he is supposed to be transporting a prisoner. He describes Yao Fei. The man says that he was taken to East Camp. _

"How big was this operation?" Laurel whispered, half to herself. Her mind instantly questioned how it was funded. Maybe they were being paid?

_He says he is heading over that way and tells Oliver to come with him. Fyres yells for them to wait. He gets n the car with Oliver. _

"He can never catch a break, can he? "Tommy said, lightness coating his words. Thea glanced down towards him, offering him a light smile, but said nothing. He could see her eyebrows furrow worryingly at the scene.

"No, he couldn't," Barry whispered, watching as the next scene began.

**Oh my gosh I'm sorry this took so long. Not only have I been incredibly busy but this chapter was so hard to write! I'm sorry it's not my best piece of work, hopefully, the next one is smoother. Anyways, I was rewatching Arrow, and I got to season five, and then I stopped. The whole thing about Oliver liking killing? Oof. This concept maybe could've worked if they had it in mind when they started the show but it's pretty obvious season one and two that Oliver doesn't enjoy it. Oh well. Anyways, thank you so much to Speedsters and Arrows, Evy 47, red lightning, GabiShea17, Star1X, summernoice, Stephane Fleiin, and SandorthienLiza! And another thank you to the kind guest reviewers on the last chapter! Have an awesome week!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to CW, Warner Bros, and the DC comics. I own nothing. IMPORTANT: I noticed I totally looked over when they introduced Yao Fei's name, so I'm going to write in a random scene where his name is told. In the last chapter in the flashbacks I referred to him by name to make it less confusing, but he was never introduced to the character's watching. (Check bottom for longer Author's Note)**

_Fyers questions Oliver about where he was stationed._

"Does he know that's Oliver?" Thea asked, looking towards Diggle. Diggle could only shake his head. He leaned slightly forward, resting his elbows hard on his legs. People who had known Oliver for years didn't recognize him with grease paint and a hood, so what were the chances a man who had only seen him a couple of times recognize him with a Baclava on.

He glanced down towards Quentin whose eyes were now focused on Diggle's. Lance hadn't said anything, yet, which was confusing in its own sense. Quentin wasn't stupid. Diggle had very little doubt he hadn't figured it out within the first few scenes, but why hadn't he said anything? What was his angle?

Diggle figured when they went back to their time, Oliver had a storm coming for him. Diggle stopped himself momentarily, shaking his head a little at the situation they were in. Time travel. Watching someone's memories. Yeah, this was a special kind of crazy.

_Fyers then asks for a report. Oliver states that there was no trouble. Fyers then asks how long Oliver was stationed there. Oliver says he just arrived. _

Thea frowned to herself. No wonder Oliver got so used to lying, he had practically had to survive by lying.

_ Fyers says he does seem new. _

Laurel sighed. He definitely knew. Fyers hadn't even talked to the other man in the car. He was trying to catch Oliver in a lie. He was playing with him. Laurel could feel anger bubble up within her. It was some cruel game of cat and mouse, and Fyers was probably finding some sick pleasure in all of this.

_Fyers says he doesn't remember a submarine bringing in new troops. Oliver says he thought everyone came in on a plane. Fyers agrees._

Laurel hated the man with every fiber of her being. A pang of remorse coursed through her as the memory of her first conversation with Oliver after he came crashing back into her mind. What was it that she had said? She wished he had rotted in hell much longer than five years? Yeah, good going, Laurel, she inwardly chastised.

There were moments that she was almost relieved that Sara didn't make it to the island. This was one of them. In fact, Laurel was waiting for a moment to come when she wasn't relieved Sara had died on that boat. Laurel couldn't help but feel a tsunami of guilt wash over her at the thought. What kind of sister was she, wishing for her sibling to be dead?

_ They end up in a prison camp of sorts. Cages scatter the scene._

"What the hell is that?" Tommy asked. Fyers hadn't been wrong before: the island was a prison, but he had made it into one.

_ Oliver looks through them. Fyers says this is where they keep prisoners prone to escaping. Fyers then hits Oliver, who cries out. Oliver collapses. Fyers pulls his mask up, saying 'prisoners like you, Mr. Queen.'_

Thea jumped a little in her seat and then sat back, hugging her midsection. Her hands squeezed together, turning white with the pressure. She had known that the man recognized Oliver, but it didn't make it any easier to watch. She looked down the line of people, who seemed uncomfortable, but not unfazed.

God, were they getting used to this?

Thea could feel nausea roll through her stomach. The room grew hot around her.

_Oliver is handcuffed to the cage. A man in a mask looks at him. _

"He looks familiar," Thea whispered. Her mom glanced towards her.

_Fyers asks Oliver if he knows why his men wear balaclavas. He says its because it masks everything except for the eyes. Eyes are where one can always find the truth. _

Diggle couldn't help but let out a small huff of air. Maybe that's why Oliver's mask worked so well. He only covered his eyes_._

_ Fyers says Oliver risked everything to say his friend, Yao Fei, even though he warned him against it._

Diggle sighed. He should've realized the man was Yao Fei before now. He was the only man Oliver had ever mentioned on the island so far.

_ Fyers says Oliver trusted him, and says that trust was misplaced. The man looking at him from before takes off his mask to reveal he is Yao Fei. _

"What the," Laurel began, her voice trailing off. Diggle felt his frown deepen. Hadn't Oliver told him that Yao Fei was his mentor? No wonder he had trust issues and didn't bat an eye when the people closest to him betrayed him_. _

_Oliver and Yao Fei are alone now, and Oliver states that Yao Fei is working for them. Oliver asks why he is doing this to him and he thought they were friends. _

Moira felt her heart break in that moment. There were many things she had protected Oliver from in life: bad grades, getting in trouble with the police, the pregnancy. But sitting here, watching him be beaten and shot and tortured? With no one there to help him? Putting his trust in people that didn't deserve? Moira could feel her lip begin to tremble. She quickly pursed her lips together. Now was not the time to break down.

She couldn't be there for Oliver on the island, but damn her if she wouldn't be there for him when she saw him again.

_ Oliver asks why he bothered to keep him safe if he was just going to betray him. Oliver asks him to get him out of there. Yao Fei says he can't and puts a cup down. _

Tommy felt a pang of guilt. He had been so angry with Oliver for not trusting him with his secret. He didn't seem to have the greatest record when it came to trusting friends. The guilt faded slightly, though. He wasn't just some person Oliver had met on an island, he was his best friend since they were children. That should've earned him something.

_Oliver calls out to him, saying that he came back for him. _

Quentin felt something for Oliver that he hadn't felt in years, maybe ever: respect. He had long put it past Oliver to commit any sort of selfless act.

_The scene shifts and Yao Fei drags Oliver across the prisoner field. _

"Where's he taking him?" Thea asked, her eyes never leaving the screen.

_Oliver asks what's going on. He asks if they're getting out of there. He is led to a place where more of the guards stand in a ring, cheering on a fight._

"What is that?" Tommy asked, shifting in his seat. Quentin could only shake his head. This island was getting more insane by the minute. Mercenaries, prisons, and fighting rings? Quentin inwardly cursed his restrictive jurisdiction. He could be making a hell've a lot of arrests when he got home.

_ A man is being badly beaten by the man who tortured Oliver._

"Oh, God," Laurel whispered. That could be Oliver. Maybe it was about to be.

_ Fyers nods to the masked man, and he kills the defeated man. _

Quentin cringed at the sight, then mentally tacked murder on to the man's list of crimes. Thea felt the nausea return. Before this whole thing, she had never seen a person die before. Now she had watched Sara die, her father shoot a man and kill himself, and a man brutally murder someone in some sick entertainment ring. And, she had only been watching it. Oliver had lived all of this.

_Fyers then asks if anyone else would like to join the fight. Yao Fei pushed Oliver forward._

"What is he doing?" Thea exclaimed.

"I think he's trying to help Oliver," Diggle said, his words careful. Thea gave him a look.

"By basically sentencing him to death?" Diggle fought down a shrug as he met her eyes. Hope and confusion mixed together.

"I think if the man wasn't on Oliver's side," Diggle said, "Then he wouldn't have come home alive." Thea's mouth twitched a little, but his words seemed to appease her for the time being. Her head turned to the screen once more, but not before casting one last glance towards Diggle.

_Fyers says the point is to strengthen cohesion and says their recruit should have a turn. He means Yao Fei. Yao Fei and Oliver face off. _

Diggle couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Yao Fei had basically left Oliver's life to chance. On a different day, in a different mood, Fyers could very well have let the masked man kill Oliver.

_Oliver looks hurt. He is taken down in a few hits. _

Tommy couldn't help but wonder when in all of this Oliver had time to learn to fight. Learning from survival would only take a person so far.

_Yao Fei puts him in a choke hold. Oliver struggles, but collapses to the ground. _

"What? He killed him?" Thea cried out. Diggle had to bite his lip from replying. He had seen Oliver do this move before. But to tell them that would mean revealing some things that he figured Oliver would rather remain hidden. Diggle turned around in his seat, looking at Barry. Barry's eyes immediately met his, and he winked. Diggle blinked, his eyes widening slightly. He turned back around, looking at the screen. If they were meant to see exactly what Oliver could do, fine, but he wasn't going to be the one to tell Oliver's secret.

Diggle couldn't help but wonder why Barry would bother to bring Quentin into this. Even without knowing who he was, Oliver was public enemy number one in Lance's eyes. All this would do would slightly accelerate Oliver's eventual incarceration.

_ The scene shifts and Oliver is on the edge of a cliff with a guard standing over him._

Thea shook her head. Her brother was alive. He had come home.

_ Fyers nods to him. Yao Fei says something to Fyers and walks over to Oliver, looking around before he bends down and pushes Oliver off the cliff into the water._

"So if he didn't already kill him by choking him to death, he was going to kill him by pushing him into the water while he's unconscious?" Thea asked. Her words were meant to come out harsh, but her voice cracked slightly at the end.

_ Oliver is face down in the water for a few moments before he takes a deep breath, swimming to shore. _

Everybody let out a breath of relief. Quentin frowned, he didn't even realize he had been holding it.

_He wipes his face, then pats his pocket, finding a map with a location circled. The scene flashes back to Yao Fei pushing Oliver, he presses under his chin._

"How does that even work?" Quentin found himself asking. "Is that even physically possible?"

"Apparently, it is," Tommy said, nodding towards the screen. Quentin gave him a half-hearted scowl.

"You know what I mean." Diggle had to hide his smirk.

_Oliver whispers survive and limps off. He walks and finds the wreckage of a plane. _

"Do you think whoever was on that survived?" Laurel asked.

"Well-"

"Tommy don't you dare say something about Lost." Tommy clamped his mouth shut, but a small smile graced over his lips.

_He walks inside. It is apparently empty. He looks around, and a man drops in from above, holding a sword to Oliver's throat._

"Holy crap!" Tommy said, looking around. Was everyone on this island a freaking ninja?

_ He tells Oliver if he twitches, he'll open his throat._

Tommy unconsciously shifted his leg. And then his arm. God, why did he have the urge to do anything besides sit still. He wondered how long he would've survived on the island. His finger twitched slightly.

Probably not long.

_ He asks Oliver how many are with him. _

"Does he think Oliver is working for those people?" Laurel scoffed.

"I think that's the more reasonable explanation than him shipwrecking on the island, and then accidentally killing a man, putting on his clothes, and then stumbling onto his little plane hut," Tommy said, glancing at Laurel. She narrowed her eyebrows but remained silent.

_Oliver is confused. The man says that Oliver has ten seconds to tell him something that he believes before he kills Oliver. Oliver says Yao Fei sent him here, and he didn't think it was for him to die._

"That's true," Thea muttered. This man was crazy.

_ The man pushes Oliver from his grasp, questioning him. The sword is still pointed to Oliver._

Thea narrowed her eyes. He could put the sword down now.

_ Oliver says that Yao Fei gave him directions to him. The man looks at the map, reading out survive. _

"I take it he knew Yao Fei?" Tommy asked.

"What was your first clue?" Thea said.

_He says there's and airfield ten clicks from their location and that it is the key off the island._

"Clicks?" Laurel asked. "Was he in the military?" Quentin could only nod in agreement. The real question was, how did he end up stuck on the island?

Moira sighed. What had Oliver gotten himself into?

_ He says him and Yao Fei had been observing it for a while. He says they were supposed to get off the island together. He says Yao Fei was compromised that they were separated. _

"So how did he know Yao Fei?" Laurel asked. "Was this some sort of rescue mission?"

"If it was a rescue mission, wouldn't somebody be coming to rescue the man when he didn't come back?" Thea asked. Laurel could only frown. Something bigger was going on here.

_He hands Oliver a blade. Oliver asks what it is for and the man says he thinks Yao Fei sent him to help him take the airstrip._

Thea let out a giggle. "What's Oliver going to do with that?" Moira gave her a chastising look. "What?" Thea asked, her voice slightly biting.

"This is serious, Thea."

"You think I don't know that?" Thea's voice was low, dangerous. "I've sat here and watched my brother die. Multiple times. Forgive me for trying to find some sanity in all of this." Moira's eyes softened slightly, and Tommy glanced over at Thea. He murmured her name once, but Thea crossed her arms, steeling her face and focusing on the screen.

_ Oliver says it sounds like Yao Fei, and the man says that Yao Fei is a softer judge of character than he is. _

"No kidding," Tommy said.

_He says if Oliver is going to have his back, he needs to know Oliver can cover it. He attacks Oliver with a sword. He puts the blade to Oliver's throat, telling him to fight back. Oliver tries, but fails. _

"Does he really expect Oliver to be able to fight him?" Laurel asked, anger hinting at her tone.

"He needs him to," Diggle answered. "It's not a matter of whether or not he has the ability to, it's about if he has the heart to. It's about how much Oliver wants to survive" Laurel's frown deepened.

"Oliver won't be able to help him if he's dead." Diggle couldn't argue with that.

_The man tells him to keep his blade up. He tells Oliver to always stay behind his sword. Oliver tries again. He fails. The man says Oliver has no skill or strength, and to say he fights like a girl would be a compliment. _

"Hey!" Thea exclaimed at the screen. Laurel suppressed a chuckle at her. This man was a real piece of work.

_Oliver says he wasn't a soldier, he was shipwrecked. The man asks where Yao Fei was. Oliver says he told him to run and he did. The man knocks him out. _

"This can't be good," Tommy mumbled. Oliver had barely escaped being murdered by the dude when he wasn't angry at Oliver.

_Oliver wakes up tied to a chair with his hands behind his back. The man says its nothing personal and that the airfield is very fortified. _

"Uh, this seems a little personal to me," Thea retorted to the screen. Her eyebrows creased worriedly.

_He says he cannot take it on his own. Oliver asks if he's just going to kill him. The man holds the blade to Oliver's throat, repeating that it's nothing personal. _

"Oh," Moira whispered, "Oh , no." Her voice choked. Thea glanced over towards her, grabbing her hand in hers. Moira glanced over, meeting Thea's eyes, their glassiness a mirror to her own. "It's okay, sweetheart," she whispered.

It wasn't okay.

_He says if Oliver is alive, the people with find him and torture him to give up his location, and he cannot allow that to happen. Oliver stands up, protesting that he won't say anything. _

Tommy could feel his heart beating painfully in his chest. Why didn't the man just let Oliver explain?

_The man pushes him back down, telling him to not make it more difficult. He can kill him in a way that Oliver will not feel it. _

"Oh, how kind of him," Tommy snapped. Anger boiled under the surface.

_Oliver breaks his thumb, pulling out of the restraints while crying out, then punches the man._

"Holy shit," Thea said, letting out a light laugh of relief. Moira glanced over, opening her mouth to comment on her language, but closed it. She didn't disagree.

Tommy couldn't help but rub his own thumb. Yeah, he wouldn't have survived long.

_ The man grabs Oliver's shirt and laughs, introducing himself as Slade Wilson. _

"Slade?" Quentin repeated. "What type of name is that?" Barry sat back in his seat, looking away from the screen. Slade was a name they would all grow to hate. It was a name that would leave a bitter taste in their mouths for years.

_Oliver introduces himself. Slade says there may be a fighter in him after all. _

**Author's note: hehe I love Slade. Ya'know, pre-mirakuru Slade, but he's one of my favorites. A super special thanks to Speedsters and Arrows, Evy 47, Brady420, summernoice, Amelia-Queen-Black, ILoveRebornNarutoKProject, SandorthienLiza, and the two guests who left lovely reviews on my last chapter! I love hearing what you guys think! I've had a few people ask me what the pairings are and the truth is I literally have no idea. I'm not much of a planner besides having the ending in mind when I'm writing and some backstory so it'll be a surprise to me as well as you guys. But, odds are that my pairings will mainly appear in the sequel to this/aftermath of them watching it. But, ya never know. Anyways, have a fantastic week! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to CW, Warner Bros, and the DC comics. I own nothing. (Check bottom for longer Author's Note)**

_Oliver is sitting down. Slade says this doesn't change anything between them. It takes two men to complete the mission._

"What does he expect Oliver to do?" Thea asked. "He's not exactly a fighter." She grimaced at the screen before turning and glancing at Quentin out of the corner of her eye. The man was staring at the screen, leaning in further with every sentence that Slade spoke. Quentin had been coming after her brother ever since he got home, well, more like ever since Oli had started dating Laurel. And, Thea had a sneaking suspicion that whatever this mission was, it wasn't going leave Oliver with clean hands. Any misstep that he saw Oli do on this screen would likely not be forgotten when they got back. If they got back.

"He's better than nothing." Glancing over, Thea made eye contact with Laurel as she spoke. The two shared a look, both of anxiety, before they glanced back towards the screen in a synchronized motion.

_Slade says if Oliver compromises the mission, he will kill him._

"I'm pretty sure if the mission is compromise they'll be dead anyways," Tommy scoffed. This Slade guy was rubbing him the wrong way.

_ He has had his second chance. Oliver says they need each other equally. Oliver then asks what the next step is. Slade says to turn Oliver into something that won't get them killed._

Thea couldn't help but let out a little laugh.

"I think that's going to take a little more than ten days." Tommy said, looking over towards Thea, trying to give her a little smile in return. She wasn't paying attention to him. He turned his head, glancing at Quentin, who had uneasily met his eyes. Lance almost looked conflicted underneath his stoic cover. Tommy rarely saw anything but disdain directed towards Oliver from the man. He wasn't sure how he felt about this change.

_ Slade tells him to choose a weapon and Oliver is incredulous that they are starting now._

Thea bit her lip a little, avoiding letting loose the retort that graced her lips.

_ Slade gives him a look and Oliver stands up. He sees the mask that the man that tortured him wore. Slade says it's his._

"What the hell?" Tommy said, his legs tensing as if he were about to stand up. Turning around, clenching the top of the couch tightly between his fingertips, he faced Barry. "Why didn't you tell us Slade was the guy who tortured Oliver?" Barry shook his head.

"He wasn't." Tommy watched as Barry muttered something else under his breath, his eyebrows narrowed. Making a dramatic motion to the screen, Tommy kept his eyes on Barry.

"Then what is this?"

"Watch it," Barry said. "You'll find out. I'm not going to tell you things that Oliver wasn't gifted in knowing either." Tommy's lips twitched downwards as he held eye contact with Barry for a few more moments before he turned back around, leaning back in his seat.

_Oliver says it belonged to the man who tortured him. Slade says that was another guy._

Tommy let out a huff of air. Could Slade have given a more half-assed answer than that?

_ Oliver doesn't believe him. Slade says its an operational equivalent to a balaclava._

_"_Who is this guy?" Quentin muttered to himself.

_ Slade says him and his partner wore them on missions._

"So is his partner the guy that tortured Oliver?" Laurel asked, turning back to Barry. He just motioned towards the screen again, shaking his head. Sighing, Laurel turned back around. Barry was getting less and less talkative as the videos went on.

_Oliver says Fyers told him that the man who wore the mask was a prisoner on the island. Slade points out that Fyers is not to be trusted. Slade says he and his partner came too free Yao Fei and that they were ASIS, or Australian intelligence._

"What did Oliver get himself into?" Moira whispered, shaking her head as she did so. Her hands were balled up in fists. They shook slightly. Her boy was being asked to aid in an intelligence mission. That he had no training for. For a country that he wasn't even from, for a man he didn't even know. The guilt was back. God, she could have stopped this all.

_Slade tells him to find him a weapon and to consider a sword. Slade likes swords._

Diggle let out a little laugh but stopped immediately. This wasn't a man Oliver had ever talked about. Not that he talked about many people from his past. But the people from Oliver's past tended to either be dead or someone Oliver wished were dead.

_The scene changes and Slade and Oliver are fighting in a field. Oliver has not improved. Slade beats him badly._

Tommy grimaced at the sight. He had been so used to knowing Oliver could fight, that it was almost odd seeing him in a time where he couldn't. And, this was his Oliver. Not the one that had returned, but the one that had died out there.

He was watching his friend die, maybe not literally, but a piece of Oliver was dying each day that he was out there in that damn jungle.

_They fight with bamboo sticks. Oliver holds his own for about five seconds before Slade hits him in the head._

Diggle frowned. Slade's training had a big impact on Oliver. He had seen Oliver do the same training session with him.

Obviously, Oliver had improved a little since then.

_Slade questions how Oliver survived there for six months and that he had seen girl scouts with more fight in them. Oliver retorts something and Slade hits his hand. Oliver cries out and Slade says they only have ten days to turn Oliver into a soldier. Slade tells him to take it seriously._

Tommy frowned a little. He knew Oliver was taking it seriously, he could see it. So, what if he threw in a little humor as a coping mechanism? Why did everything with this Slade guy have to be frowns and bitch fits?

Beside him, Diggle could only sigh in response. It was strange seeing Oliver smiling and trying to make light of his situation. Especially compared to the man he knew now.

_Oliver attacks. Slade beats him. Oliver then asks what the point is. He says the soldiers don't have bamboo, they have guns._

"He's not wrong," Thea said, making eye contact with Tommy, expecting his agreement. He hummed out a light response. And, once again felt as if he were lying to her. He had seen Oliver take down gunned men without any sort of weapon, let alone a bamboo stick. At this point, what was he lying to her for? She would see it soon anyways. He knew Oliver didn't turn into the Hood on the fishing boat from the island.

_ Slade pulls out a gun and tells Oliver to jam it in his face. Oliver hesitates then does so. Slade quickly disarms him and throws him to the ground._

"Holy shit," Tommy whispered to himself. He had seen Oliver fight a few times, sure, and his dad once or twice, but there was something fascinating about watching someone fight. The dance between the people, it was almost an artform. A violent artform, sure. But, an art.

_ Oliver says he gives up. Slade picks him up and says that there is no giving up. Slade says he can either escape or die. He tells Oliver to choose, who quickly says escape._

Quentin felt a pang in his chest as he watched. His eyes softened in sympathy and he glanced over towards Moira, whose eyebrows were turned downwards in worry. He couldn't even imagine what. He would do if this were Sara. Would he even be able to watch?

_ Slade says he will show him how to not die. The scene shifts and Oliver and Slade are looking at a map. Slade says Lian Yu, and Oliver says that that is the island's name. Slade gives him a look, and says 'it is, wonderful'._

Tommy, despite himself, found himself smiling a little at the man's comments.

_Oliver asks if the image is the air strip. Slade says ASIS took imagery of the island._

"I don't get it, though. If they're a part of ASIS, why isn't anyone else coming to look for them?" Thea asked, directly turning her attention towards Diggle. He glanced over towards her.

"Their plane went down. ASIS most likely assumes they're dead." Thea's eyes dropped downward. They had stopped looking for Oliver and dad when the boat went down. She guessed it really wasn't that different in the end.

_He then points out a camp on the map. Oliver asks if that's where Yao Fei is and if they can get a message to him. Slade tells him to forget about him._

"What?" Laurel breathed out. "But Yao Fei saved Oliver? And wasn't it Slade's mission in the beginning to save him?"

"In the long run," Diggle said, narrowing his eyes at the screen a little, "It would probably be better for Slade to inform ASIS about the operation and to bring in reinforcements later on than it would be for Slade and Oliver to try and save Yao Fei on their own."

_ Slade says there are about ten soldiers guarding the airstrip at a time. Oliver jokes about that being too many. Slade says no. He says his problem is the guy in the tower. He says he can't take him out because the glass is bulletproof. He says if the man suspects anything is wrong he will radio Fyers and they can't get off the island. He says it's up to Oliver to take him out._

"This isn't going to go well," Tommy said, chuckling a little.

"Can Oliver actually pull that off, though?" Thea asked

"He'll have to," Laurel answered.

_He asks if Oliver is ready. Oliver asks if Slade thinks he is ready. Slade says the plane only comes every three months, so they need to get on it tomorrow. He tells Oliver to get some sleep and they will leave at 0600._

Tommy snorted a little. He could only imagine how old Oliver would have felt about that. It would have been a rarity for him to get up before noon.

_Oliver sits and looks at the picture of Laurel._

Laurel shifted a little in her seat. Her hand reached towards Tommy's, and she wrapped her fingers around his. He didn't reciprocate. Looking over towards him, she saw that his jaw was set, and his teeth grinded a little back and forth. She didn't have time for him to be jealous of the past. Letting his hand go, she strung her fingers together, facing the screen once again.

_Slade tells him not to worry and that he'll be back with her soon. Oliver goes to sleep. He is dreaming. He is in bed with Laurel._

"I don't want to see this," Quentin said. He turned his head a little away. He preferred it when he wasn't aware of his daughter's personal life. Even if this was just a dream. Or, god forbid, a fantasy.

_He asks her not to too hate him for sleeping with Sara. She asks if it hurt. He is confused. She asks if it hurt when they killed him._

Okay, Quentin thought, so this isn't a fantasy.

_A bullet appears in his head. Oliver jerks awake._

Moira tasted salt. Dragging her hand up out of Thea's grasp, she wiped the corner of her eye. Her finger came back stained black from the mascara that had once coated her eyelashes.

Pain knotted in her stomach, climbing to her lungs, squeezing all of the air out of them. A simple phone call would've saved her son's innocence. A simple phone call would've saved him a lifetime of pain he was never meant to experience.

**Author's note: I'm so sorry this took so long, I've been super busy. I'm going to try and continue this! I hope everyone has been doing well! Also sorry this is fairly short, I'm currently working on a ton of projects at the same time but I'm so sorry this took so long! Special thanks to SandorthienLiza, Speedsters and Arrows, TheHoodedAssassin, Stonerguy420, white collar black wolf, Evy 47, JoeyDe, SakiOkami, IceBlueRose, ceara1888, Zenny0, cmtaylor531, Blackest of the Soul and all of the amazing guests that commented!**

**Anyways, have a good week guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to CW, Warner Bros, and the DC comics. I own nothing. (Check bottom for longer Author's Note)**

Quentin glanced towards Moira, watching as she rubbed the underparts of her eyes to get rid of the mascara that had fallen there. He didn't know what he would do, if this was Laurel or Sara on the screen and he was forced to watch it. And not only just watch it, but be forced to watch it with a group of people, to not even be granted the gift of privacy when she was forced to see her son be tortured and broken on an island. Turning around in his seat, he glanced towards Barry.

"Why would you show all of this to us? I get it, you want to save us or some bullshit like that, blah blah blah" He said. "But, making us all watch this together? Moira and Thea, maybe. They deserve to know what happened to their son. And, they should be together for that. But watching this with his bodyguard? His ex? And best friend? And me? Why would you do that to someone who you say was your friend?"

"They deserve to know what happened?" Barry asked, narrowing his eyebrows at them, ignoring the rest of Quentin's speech. Quentin watched as the man's legs tensed up as if he were about to stand up. But, he didn't. "I'm not showing this because you deserve to know. I'm showing this for Oliver. Because he deserves for me to do anything in my power to save him. I never said that he would be happy the way I went about doing that." He watched as Thea's face twisted into a frown at his words.

"Save him?" Thea asked. "What do you mean, save him?" Barry looked away from them for a long moment. "Barry?" Quentin remained silent for now. This wasn't his place. "Is my brother going to die?"

"The dude said we were all going to die in this future, are you really that surprised that your brother will too?" Tommy asked, putting an arm on Thea's shoulder. Quentin didn't know how those words could've been meant to be reassuring, but somehow, Thea's shoulders loosened a little as she glanced back towards the screen, biting her bottom lip.

"I would like to know," Moira spoke up. "How are we going to die? I don't understand, if you want to prevent this future so much, that you won't just tell us how to save each other? That would be much easier than forcing us to sit and watch all of this." Moira had collected herself by now, the facade returning to her face. The one where she was okay. Barry shook his head once more at them.

"It's much more complicated than that. Time doesn't work the way you think it does-"

"I've gathered that," Quentin quipped, glancing around them. Barry gave him a long stare that sobered him up.

"I've gone through hundreds of futures. I've told you -well not you, you, other yous- every way you're going to die, and you never live. I decided to try something different this time."

"And we're just your guinea pigs this time around?" Tommy asked, rolling his eyes. Barry didn't laugh at his words, and Quentin turned back towards the screen. So, they were just the man's guinea pigs. He guessed messing up one life didn't seem to matter that much in Barry's world. There were hundreds of other Quentin Lance's for him to use.

The television screen began to play again.

_Slade throws some bags at Oliver and says they're moving out. They leave the plane and walk through the forest. Slade leads. Slade holds up a hand for them to stop and then says they're clear. Oliver asks to take a break._

Worry turned in Moira's stomach. Oliver wasn't ready for some army mission? This Mr. Slade or whatever, this was his job. Oliver's job was to be her son. His job was to have fun, to be a child, to keep his innocence while he still had it. God forbid he knew any of what she knew about the world now.

And this island, it was teaching him that, day by day.

_Slade tells them to rest on the plane. Oliver steps on a landmine._

"That doesn't sound good," Tommy said, his tone coming out joking. Laurel glanced over, opening her mouth to chastise him, but stopped herself. She knew the look that Tommy wore. She had seen it the day of the funeral. She had seen it on every birthday that passed that Oliver hadn't made it home for. Each time that Tommy was reminded of Oliver's, well, his mortality, she guessed, he wore that look. And he was wearing it right now.

_ Slade tells him to not move. Oliver asks if it's a mine. Slade bends down and looks at it, he says it is and it's probably Japanese and from world war II._

"What the hell type of island are they on?" Quentin asked, leaning back in his seat. Diggle glanced over at the man for a few moments before narrowing his own eyes at the screen. Having bombs on there from World War II meant that this island was much less hidden than everyone had thought it was. If it managed to fly under the radar so much for simple detective's work, that must mean that governments knew about it, and they were hiding something from there.

That also meant that there was a strong likelihood that ARGUS knew about that island. He made a mental note to talk to Lyla when he returned.

_ Oliver asks if he can disarm it and Slade says not without disarming Oliver._

Moira clenched the cushion of the couch between her fingers, biting her lip until it turned number under her teeth. There were times like these that she wondered just how Oliver had managed to live through all of this. She saw him with her own two eyes, back at home, safe and sound. She had seen him return, she had touched his skin, felt his scars, his pain. And yet, watching this, it made her doubt that her son had ever returned from this place.

She wondered if maybe this was all just some sort of grief induced hallucination. Maybe one day her mind just snapped, maybe Oliver never came home. Perhaps she was imagining all of this right now. She pinched her arm between her skin, squeezing it so night that the skin broke under her fingers.

She didn't even know if she wanted to wake up. Or, if it mattered if she woke up. In both realities, the son she knew was dead.

_Soldiers come and Slade flees after grabbing Oliver's bag._

"What the hell?" Tommy muttered, scoffing at Slade. No wonder Oliver came back so damaged by this. The man couldn't trust anyone anymore, and Tommy honestly didn't know if he blamed him for it. Five years was a long time. It had destroyed whatever trust and hope and love that Oliver had previously held within him.

And they had sat around blaming Oliver for it, when they should've been blaming the people that destroyed that part of him.

_ Oliver calls for him to stop and then he puts on the baclava._

Quentin blinked in surprise. Oliver had always been smart, not book smart by any means, but he always had some sort of wit on him. He didn't know if in that situation, he would've had the mind to do the same thing. And he was a trained officer for god's sake.

_The soldiers ask what he's doing so far from camp and Oliver says he was separated from his unit. The soldier tells him too come with them and Oliver says he can't. Slade rushes in screaming and kills all of the soldiers._

Diggle leaned back a little, looking at Slade. So far, this man, who was maybe a little rough around the edges, had managed to save Oliver on multiple occasions. Probably just as many times as Yao Fei had at this point. He had trained Oliver far more than Yao Fei had. But, Oliver had never spoken of him before, which meant something was going to happen, and he had a feeling it was going to be a little more complicated than Slade suddenly dying or something like that.

_He tells Oliver to be still and Slade pushes Oliver off of the mine and one of the bodies on. Oliver thanks him._

A smile graced over Thea's lips as she watched the man. Whoever this was, was responsible for saving her brother. She glanced over towards her mother, expecting a similar look to be on her face. But, her mom's face was frowning at the screen.

She figured she should be too, considering the fact that Oli just barely survived stepping onto a mine from some war that was older than both her and her brother combined. But, she chose, just this once, to focus on the fact that he was alive.

_The scene changes to a camp and Yao Fei walks through. Fyers tells him to sit. Fyers pulls out a bow and says when he first saw Yao Fei with it, he thought it was ridiculous until Yao Fei killed the men._

Quentin held in a laugh. He had felt the same when the hood -Oliver- had shown up toting his bow and arrows and running around the night like he was Robin Hood. For a while, he thought that Queen was playing a prank on him and his department when the kid had said the hood had saved his life. But, who could blame Quentin for thinking it was a joke. What nutjob went around with a bow and arrow shooting people with thugs for chump change?

He figured he probably shouldn't be calling the hood a nutjob anymore. But, if the shoe fit-

_ He says more bows will be coming and he wants Yao Fei to train his men. Yao Fei says archery takes a while to master and Fyers tells him to be a good instructor._

Diggle frowned. Oliver had five years on the island to master being an archer. And, that was most likely with one on one training. There was no way that Yao Fei would be able to train a whole group of missionaries how to use a bow effectively in such a short amount of time. And, he suspected that Fyers knew that.

Fyers was just showing the control that he had over Yao Fei.

He had run across men like Fyers before. And usually, it ended with the death of whoever they wanted to control if they stepped out of line.

_He dismisses Yao Fei. He says he hopes Yao Fei is committed to the cause for "her sake". Yao Fei says he is._

"Who's her?" Thea asked.

"Probably his wife or daughter," Quentin said, looking at the screen. At least, those would be the only two women in his life that he would be willing to give up his personal beliefs and moral compass for. He figured Yao Fei wasn't much different.

_The scene changes too Oliver attempting to make a fire and Slade says Oliver must've never been a boy scout._

Tommy snorted. Moira gave him a harsh look in response.

_ Oliver asks what tipped him off. Slade tells him to hurry because wolves will come out soon. Oliver questions that there are wolves there._

"What?" Thea whispered. That was just great. The fact that her brother was stranded on an island wasn't enough. The fact that her brother was stranded on an island with people that wanted to kill him wasn't enough. And now what? Wolves?

Diggle held in a laugh as he watched the screen. Unlike these people, he had never known Oliver before the island. So, watching him now, where he was just like every other spoiled rich kid that he had been a bodyguard for, was almost humorous.

But, it was also concerning. A few killer missionaries weren't enough to turn Oliver into the person he was today. This was just the tip of the iceberg, and if Oliver's family was already struggling this much watching him right now, he had no idea how they were going to get through whatever was going to come next.

_ Slade says the only thing to keep them out is fire. Oliver says he's welcome to help. Slade pulls out a lighter._

This time even Diggle had to laugh at the screen. This was exactly something Oliver would do to him now, to teach some sort of lesson about perseverance and how he had to work for everything on the island.

_Oliver is annoyed and says he been working on it for two hours. Slade says he knows and thanks him for the entertainment._

Tommy smirked at Slade. He liked this guy.

_Oliver is looking at the picture and Slade says he's going to wear it out. Slade says not to worry and she'll be waiting for him. Oliver says he doubts it because he was with her sister on the boat._

Quentin glanced away from the screen, looking towards the floor. He could feel the familiar anger brewing inside him again. He almost let it control him again, he felt its fingers wrap around him, pulling it back into its grasp.

But, instead he looked back towards the screen, unblinking, ignoring the feeling in his stomach.

_Slade says he didn't take Oliver to be the bad boy. Oliver says that why he needs to get home, he wants to make it right._

Laurel bit her lip. When Oliver was gone, she had demonized him. When he had gotten on that boat, it was because he was a monster, not because he was the guy she knew that made stupid ass decisions every once in a while. But this, on the screen, that was the guy she remembered. That was the guy she had fallen in love with. She avoided looking over towards Tommy in this moment. Every time her name had been mentioned on the screen, something switched within Tommy.

It was moments like these where he almost reminded her of Merlyn.

_Slade says he can't make it right. He says Oliver is stupider than he thought and that means something._

Quentin laughed. He couldn't help but agree with the man in this instance. Some consequences, accidental or not, were things you couldn't come back from. And killing your girlfriends sister while cheating on her was one of them.

_Oliver says he doesn't strike him as something who accepts apologies. Slade says everyone is in this life for themselves. Oliver asks if he learned that in spy school and Slade says he learned it here._

Moira sucked in a deep breath. She felt Thea's hand wrap around her own, and she glanced over towards her daughter. Thea didn't look back at her, but squeezed her hand tighter around Moira's. It was moments like this that reminded Moira about why she found it so hard to punish Thea for anything. Because, along with losing her brother on that island, Thea had also lost herself somewhere along the way.

Moira supposed that she had lost herself too. But, she had lost it long before the gambit ever went down.

_Slade then discusses his old partner, he says it was the man that tortured Oliver and his name is Billy Wintergreen. Their plane was shot out of the sky and Slade and Billy were taken in and offered a position with Fyers. Billy accepted. He declined. He says Billy was the godfather to his son and he still turned his back on him. The scene switches and Oliver and Slade are running towards the airstrip, bags in hand._

Diggle sighed as he watched the video. This, as much as he hated to admit it, and as much as he still felt uncomfortable with the fact that they were invading Oliver's privacy, made him understand Oliver a little bit more. The way he always saw the bad in every situation, the way he never trusted anybody on their word.

It was because he had been deprived of the good for long that he could only see the bad now.

**Author's note: Hey all. I hope everyone is doing well and is safe during this pandemic. I'm sorry for such a late update once again, thankfully, I had already typed out the TV part of this chapter, so it made it more manageable to write. Special thanks to JoeyDe (!), FictionLover007, timbarney110, Zenny01, gleefanforever09, ILoveRebornNarutoKProject, GreenArr0w, mastercheif1229, Flaremage, Enkay5968, LizaSandorthein, and the two guests for their awesome reviews! It really matters and I can't thank you guys enough!**

**Stay awesome and stay safe.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to CW, Warner Bros, and the DC comics. I own nothing. (Check bottom for longer Author's Note)**

"Why do I feel like this isn't going to go according to plan?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow at the screen. Not that he was hoping it wouldn't go according to plan, it just seemed as if the cosmic forces of this god forsaken island were always working against Oliver.

Nobody seemed to respond to him, other than Lance given him a half-hearted huff.

Tommy still couldn't figure the man out. Five years of hatred. Months of trying to pin Oliver down to be the Hood. And here, after all of this, after everyone calling Lance crazy and obsessed, why the hell was the man being so quiet? Lance had already figured it out, that much Tommy knew for sure. But, why hadn't he said anything?

Maybe he had a secret plan. Or, maybe he was planning out which pair of handcuffs -the shiny ones, or the extra shiny ones- to slap onto Oliver's wrists when he got back.

The great thing about Lance was that he was predictable.

But this Lance? This was unnerving.

Had a time traveling alien body snatched him or something? Yeah, that would make sense.

Maybe if he squinted hard enough, he would be able to see a little green alien running the controls behind Quentin's eyes?

No. That wouldn't make any sense.

It would definitely be a little green hamster running in a wheel.

Yep. That makes more sense.

_Slade points to the tower and tells Oliver to not let the man radio. Oliver asks about the other people in the camp. Slade tells Oliver to worry about his one while Slade worries about his ten._

Thea internally grimaced. Ollie wouldn't be able to take care of one. Especially not after the training that they had seen. Best case, her brother would fail miserably, worst case, he would end up dead.

And, considering the fact that he's still alive, she was prepared to watch him fail miserably.

_Oliver nods and runs off to the tower. He pulls the mask over his face. Slade begins to shoot soldiers as Oliver makes his way towards the tower. Oliver comes face to face with one soldier. The soldier is shot by Slade._

"Not off to a great start," Tommy half-heartedly commented. Moira glanced over, the corners of her lips turning downwards. Everyone else on the couch seemed to be in agreement with Tommy. She couldn't find it in herself to be half-hearted about any of this.

Her son had just watched someone get killed in front of her. It didn't matter that it wasn't the first, it didn't matter that this wasn't his father or his friend. It didn't matter that this was an enemy.

Every body that dropped in front of Oliver took a piece of him with it. And, seeing the Oliver that came back, a broken shell of who he was before, made the pit in her stomach deepen. Because, that meant that more bodies were going to drop before Oliver would ever return.

And once again, she was brought back to the moment.

The decision. The decision of letting her son get on that boat. The decision of getting involved with everything.

She could blame everyone, but in the end, her son's death was her own doing.

_Slade, after shooting two more men, runs out of bullets. Oliver makes his way up the stairs and peers into the tower. Slade, meanwhile, kills four people with his machete._

"It's kinda funny watching the two together," Thea murmered, a smile playing at her lips. The world's most unlikely pairing goes to the Australian Ninja and the Billionaire Playboy with a history of peeing on cops.

Despite her lighthearted comment, a deep, gnawing pit still formed in her stomach as she watched the screen.

She still found herself wanting Ollie to be here, now, though. He somehow always made her feel better. No matter what the situation was. Even when he had been in that motorcycle accident, it had been him that was taking care of her.

Was it selfish? To want the person who had gone through all of it to be the one to comfort her?

Maybe.

But, that didn't stop her from wanting him to be here.

_Oliver hesitantly opens up the door to the tower, sword in hand. He attacks the man and quickly loses his sword._

Quentin let out a little chuckle much to his own dismay. And, based on Moira's stare, to her dismay too. But hey, what could he say? Oliver sucked at fighting. And, it was funny. The kid wasn't going to die here, they all knew that.

A small piece of him fought back against that, reminding him, once more, what if this had been Sara? What if Sara was the one forced to become a soldier? Would he be laughing then? No.

He hated his stupid goddamn conscious. Sometimes, he wished it would just shut the hell up.

_The man draws a gun on him. Oliver attempts to disarm him but fails. The man reaches for a phone._

Diggle raised his eyebrows. He was more surprised that the man didn't just outright kill Oliver right then and there. In a way, Oliver might've just lucked out by getting a man with half a heart.

_Slade then impales him with his sword._

Thea and Laurel jumped a little, giving each other a look before returning their attention to the screen. Laurel bit her lip. She had seen lots of death, especially this year. And it worried her, to some degree, that she was distancing herself so much from it. Death wasn't as bothersome. It was, at this point, just part of her life. It was almost natural.

And that disgusted her.

She was supposed to be looking for justice. Legal justice. Not this archaic, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, barbaric justice. That wasn't her. And yet, she couldn't stop the small tinge of satisfaction every time one of the 'bad guys' got taken out.

_He tells Oliver that he had one job to do and he still managed to screw it up. Slade tells Oliver that he is going to go make sure everything is clear and to not let anyone in besides Slade in. Slade gives Oliver the man's gun and tells him not to shoot himself by mistake._

Tommy didn't know whether or not to laugh or to agree with the man. Maybe he could do both. But, knowing Oliver, at least the Oliver from five years ago, he should probably be agreeing with Slade's words.

_Oliver sets the gun down and glanced towards the phone. He picks up the phone and begins dialing a number. It rings._

"What?" Moira breathed, staring at the screen. "He had access to a phone? Why didn't he call us? We could've saved him?" She said, her words tumbling out of her mouth, falling flat in the room.

The truth was, no one had the answer to that.

_Laurel answers. Oliver remains silent for a moment, obviously shocked. Laurel asks if anyone is there._

"Oh," Laurel whispered. She kept her eyes on the screen. Part of her could practically feel Moira and everyone else's gaze burning into her. "I didn't know. I didn't. Why didn't he say anything?"

She remembered that call. She had found it weird, for a second, maybe even two, and then she had gone about her day. That was all the time it had taken for her to make a decision that gave Oliver four more years of this hell.

She could've stopped all of this. If only she had looked into it.

"Laurel," Tommy's voice tickled her ear as he spoke, "You thought it was a wrong number. Everyone gets those calls. You couldn't have known."

But, maybe she should've.

She didn't say anything else, instead, she glanced over towards Tommy, giving him a small nod to appease him.

_Before Oliver could answer, Slade rips the phone away from Oliver, destroying it._

Okay, so maybe Thea didn't like the Australian Ninja as much as she thought she did. If he hadn't had done that, she probably would've gotten her brother back four years ago.

She probably would've gotten her brother back, period. Not the stranger that returned.

Thea absently shook her heads at her thoughts.

No, he wasn't a stranger. He was different. He had changed. But Ollie was still her Ollie. She knew it the first day she had seen him come back. She knew it when he had called her Speedy again for the first time in years. She knew it when he threw away her drugs, as annoying as it was.

But that still didn't mean that she didn't miss who he was before sometimes.

And, there she went again. Making this all about her.

_He asks if Oliver has lost his mind as says that they may be monitoring the calls._

Diggle hated the fact that he agreed with Slade. It hurt to see hope ripped from a man, but it made sense. If Fyers had learned their location from that phone call, odds were that Laurel would've just ended up bringing Oliver's body home instead of Oliver himself.

_A radio broadcast comes in, saying that they were three hours out and asks them to confirm. Slade picks up the radio and acknowledges the call. The caller responds with 'for all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth'._

"What is that?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow, looking between Diggle and Lance.

"It's probably some sort of code or countersign," Diggle responded first, beating Lance. "We used a similar sort of thing in the military to communicate with our forces."

"So, is it just like a password?" Thea asked.

"More or less."

_Oliver questions it, and Slade tells him it's a challenge code to verify who they are._

Lance grimaced internally. The force should've probably incorporated this into some of their work. Especially when they were dealing with Deadshot. It could've saved lives. And that was something he would have to carry with him to the grave.

_Slade asks the man to repeat himself. The man does. Oliver says that he knows it._

"You're kidding me," Tommy half-laughed. "I don't believe it."

Diggle glanced to the side. Oliver may act stupid, but he wasn't. It was almost surprising to see how well Oliver had managed to fool his family, especially considering the cover stories that he had thrown Felicity's way.

He kind of expected more from Oliver's family.

_He says that they picked the one book that Oliver read in college. He says it's a quote from the Odyssey. He repeats the quote and finishes it with 'nothing is born that is weaker than man.'_

"Well, mom, turns out college wasn't for nothing," Thea said, giving her mom a tight smile. Her mother nodded absently, not really turning to look at her. Not that Thea blamed her all that much. You don't really send your kid to college in hopes that one day he'll be able to answer some weird ass challenge code.

Maybe she should start doing the summer reading from now on. Maybe.

_Slade asks if he is sure because the plane will turn around. Oliver says he is sure and that Slade should say it. Slade clicks the button, and Oliver yells at him to wait. He corrects the quote to 'nothing is bred that is weaker than man'._

"What would have happened if they had said one wrong word?" Thea asked, once again turning towards Diggle, who shrugged in response.

"They wouldn't have landed most likely. Challenge codes aren't to be messed with, and a wrong word, while most of the time is a mistake, can be a sign of an enemy. A lot of the time, they end up being the difference between a soldier going home to see their family and being sent home in a body bag."

"Them why would they make it a quote of something that just anyone would know?" Thea asked.

"I don't know. I honestly don't. Maybe they didn't bother making up complex countersigns with one another because they didn't think they would have to worry about spies on a deserted island?" Diggle said, running a hand over top of his head. "But either way, Oliver and Slade got really lucky with this."

"Lucky is one way to put it," Tommy said, mumbling under his breath.

_Slade says it into the radio. His code is accepted. Slade is happy, and asks about the Odyssey. Oliver says its about a man trying to get home. Slade says he'll be on his way home soon._

Moira glanced away from the screen for a moment, looking down towards the ground. It hurt to see this. To see all of this hope, and to know that none of this would end up working. It hurt even worse because it gave her hope, too. That somehow, the timeline was wrong, that maybe her boy would make it home on this plane after all.

But, she had seen Oliver's back. She had seen his scars, his tattoos. She knew, deep down, that the worst was yet to come. And, she didn't know if she could handle that.

_Oliver asks why Slade made it sound like he wasn't coming with. Slade says he will be coming after he radios in an air strike on the location._

"What the?" Tommy said. "Not that I wouldn't mind blowing that shit hole to pieces, but-" Tommy cut himself off, not finishing the statement. Once again, he was met with his internal turmoil: how much is a life worth? Sure, none of the guys were innocent, but did that mean that they deserved to die? If they were just being paid for it, then did that really damn them to hell? To Slade, apparently, the answer was yes.

Maybe to Oliver today, the answer was yes, too.

But to Tommy, the answer wasn't as clear.

_He said he's going to send Fyers and his men to hell. Oliver says that Slade can't blow up the island. He says Yao Fei is still out there. Slade says that he is not his concern._

"The hell?" Thea said. "I thought his whole mission or whatever was to save Yao Fei?"

"It was," Diggle said, "But, when they got here, they obviously weren't expecting to stumble upon all of this. Sometimes, missions change. Priorities change. And, as a soldier, one of the first lessons you learn is not everyone can be saved."

"Still," Thea said, her voice trailing off as she stared at the screen. "It still doesn't feel right."

_Oliver says Yao Fei was the only reason Slade came here, and that he was his mission. Slade says the mission changed. Slade says Fyers is a mercenary and he has plans for the island. He says that the plans involve Yao Fei, and they must end._

Lance glanced over towards Diggle. He had respected the man for a while, especially after he had saved Laurel from the Triad. But, hearing him talk about this stuff, it brought a new level of respect with it.

The man knew his stuff.

_Oliver says that Yao Fei saved his life. Slade says that that is not his debt to repay. Oliver walks off. Slade grabs him, asking him where he's going. Oliver says that for all of his life, he's only thought about himself. He says he took his family for granted and betrayed people he loved. He says he's not going to be that person anymore._

Laurel stared at the screen, trying to keep her emotions as hidden as possible. Partly for Tommy's sake, partly for her own. It was so easy to think that Oliver didn't feel. That he never cared. That was the only thought that kept her going during those five years. And now, to find out, the man she had damned to hell in her mind for all of those years wasn't who she thought he was, that hurt. She glanced over towards her dad, placing a hand on his lap. His dad would never say it, not for a long time, but she knew that whatever guilt she was feeling was only a fraction of what he was feeling.

_He says he can't leave Yao Fei there to die. Slade says the plane leaves in three hours, and if him and Yao Fei aren't on it, he will leave without them._

"Are you kidding me?" Thea spit out. "After all of that, Slade would just leave him?"

"But, wouldn't it be better to have one person off the island than both of them stuck?" Laurel questioned gently. "At least then there would be some hope for survival."

Ollie, without Slade, would probably be dead by then, though. But, Thea kept that thought to herself. Her mom didn't need to hear that at the moment.

_Oliver turns to leave, but stops and asks Slade to call his family if Slade gets on the island. Slade agrees._

"Well, either Slade is an asshole, or something tells me he's not going to get off the island," Tommy grumbled.

_Oliver runs off. He runs through the forest and makes it to the other camp. Oliver hides from guards and sneaks through the camp. He sees Yao Fei walk out of a tent. Yao Fei is drawing on a map when Oliver enters. He asks how Oliver got in, but Oliver says he'll explain on the way but they have to leave. Yao Fei says he shouldn't have come back. Oliver says he found Slade and that they have a way off the island but they have to leave now. Yao Fei refuses._

"I can't say that I wasn't expecting that," Lance said. He would never leave Laurel or anyone else he cared for on that island. No matter the cost to himself. He would never be able to live with himself if he did that. Never. But, he couldn't say that his heart didn't break for Queen there. The kid had basically sacrificed his own life to come and save a man that didn't want to be saved.

It was amazing that Oliver was even half sane at this point.

Not that he would ever tell Queen that.

_Oliver asks what reason he has for staying. Yao Fei says not what, but who. Fyers comes in and Yao Fei punches Oliver, knocking him to the floor. Fyers says it's past time Oliver left the island, permanently._

"You've got to be kidding me," Thea said, anger coating the fear in her words. Her mom reached over, grabbing her hand. Thea, at first, thought her mom was trying to comfort her. But, when she turned, her mom's eyes were glassy, glistening against the light from the screen. Thea squeezed her mom's hand back.

_The masked man that tortured Oliver joins them. Oliver passes out._

Just because Moira knew that Oliver made it back alive didn't mean it made these moments any easier. A story had been carved into her son's body, and they had only read the first chapter. And that, that was almost too much for her. She didn't want to finish the book.

_Meanwhile, Slade hears back from the plane, saying that they will be landing soon. Slade says that they are clear to land._

"The asshole really is gonna leave him, huh?" Tommy muttered.

_Oliver is forced into a circle, his hands tied behind his back._

"I can't," Moira whispered. "I can't watch this again. I've already seen him die once, I can't do it again. I don't understand how watching this helps," she said, turning around. "Why are you doing this to us? How could this have any effect on anything? Do you enjoy sitting here and watching us watch this?" She continued, the words spiraling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Barry didn't look surprised, not at all. In fact, he seemed to be expecting this outburst.

"Have I not explained my reasoning well enough?" he asked, more curious than anything.

"No, not particularly," Moira said.

"Contrary to what you may think," Quentin began, catching Moira's eye, "We are actual people. It may be hard for you to understand, maybe we're not your timeline's Quentin and Moira or whatever the hell you say, but we are our timeline's people."

Quentin's words almost seemed to offend Barry for a second. Moira watched as the man's eyes narrowed.

"Why do you think I'm fighting so hard for you to live? Your lives will never bring back the one's I've lost. And yet, here I am."

Moira's shoulders loosened a little as she looked at Barry. Maybe it was his words, maybe it was the scar on his face that his hand kept running over, maybe it was the fact that he was only trying to help his son, but she believed him.

But, that didn't stop the pain every time she looked at the screen.

_Fyers asks why he isn't already dead. He says he saw Yao Fei choke him to death. Oliver says he's not as strong as he looks._

"Oliver," Moira chastised under her breath. Leave it to him to antagonize the man that was going to kill him.

_Fyers asks why Oliver returned for him. He says Oliver is a fool or a hero. Oliver says he isn't a hero. Fyers says it isn't possible to be a hero when people aren't worth saving._

Quentin stared at the screen for a long moment. A big part of his disdain towards the Hood, Oliver, whoever the hell, was that he was paraded as a hero, and Quentin never bought it. Because, Oliver or not, past or not, torture or not, the man wasn't a hero. And he hated the delusion that the Hood was some freaking miracle vigilante that was going to raise the city out from its destruction. And Lance, well more than he hated murder, he hated the false hope that the Hood brought. A hero that is a killer is nothing but a sign that there is truly nothing worth saving anymore.

And he had always assumed that Oliver thought himself to be a hero. And he hated that.

But now, now Lance didn't know.

_Oliver asks if Fyers wants Oliver to fight Yao Fei again. Fyers says it isn't a match, but an execution._

Moira couldn't help but turn around in her seat to give Barry a look. A pleading one. She wasn't lying before. She couldn't do this again. For the first time since this all had started, Barry gave her a nod. Almost as if to reassure her. She nodded back, turning towards the screen once more.

_Yao Fei apologizes._

"Save it," Thea hissed, glaring at the screen. Daughter or wife or whoever the hell he was saving, he was killing her brother in the process.

_Oliver turns to face Billy wintergreen, the masked man. Oliver calls him by his name, and Bill hits him._

A whimper escaped from Thea's lips, and she turned her head away from the screen.

_Oliver recovers and continues to talk to Billy about his occupation and his honor. Billy hits him again._

Diggle had always admired one thing about Oliver, and that was his perseverance. His ability to pick himself up from the bottom. That's why he got so scared, probably, when the Dark Archer took down Oliver. Oliver didn't seem to want to pick himself back up from that one, and that wasn't the Oliver that Diggle had grown to respect or know.

_He draws his sword and cuts Oliver loose. As soon as Oliver stands, Billy beats him again._

Lance could've laughed. Of course a man like Billy would want to not kill a man when he was tied down. That would be oh so dishonorable. This really was one special sort of sicko.

_Billy grabs him by the neck, and Oliver says that he'll triple whatever Fyers is paying him. There's an explosion in the distance._

"Never thought I would be happy to see something blow up," Tommy muttered, staring at the screen. "But, what now? The Army? More Mercenaries? Aliens?"

_Shots are fired. The soldiers retaliate. Oliver gets away. Slade is revealed to have caused the fire. He walks out and faces Billy._

"Thank god," Tommy breathed out as soon as Slade walked onto the screen.

_They fight, and then Slade kills Billy as Oliver watches._

Moira stared. Another piece of Oliver gone.

_A shot fires and hits Slade. Oliver fires back and grabs Slade, taking him away. They run into a man, but Oliver takes down a man with a gun easily._

"Damn," Tommy chuckled. Diggle grunted across the room. Turning and looking at the man, he gave him a questioning stare. "What is it?" Tommy asked.

"Just wondering how Slade's going to get through this," Diggle said.

"Isn't it just a flesh wound?" Thea asked.

"It's not the wound that'll kill him. It's the infection."

Lance glanced between the two men, staying silent. Once again, this image he had for Oliver was being stripped away right before his very eyes. Oliver hadn't yet killed a man purposefully. In fact, he seemed to be doing everything in his power to not have to kill someone. A scowl tugged across his face for a moment as he stared at the screen. Not at the man before him, but more-so directed towards Lance himself. He was a detective for god's sake. And to have misunderstood someone's character this much? That was a disgrace to his badge.

_They watch as the plane leaves the island._

Laurel sighed. To be holding onto hope of something she knew for a fact didn't happen was strange. Somehow, she had managed to hope that that plane ended up saving Oliver. Even though she had seen living proof that that was far from the case.

_Oliver tries to dig the bullet out of Slade's arm. Slade says he's impressed Oliver didn't puke and Oliver replies that he swallowed it._

Tommy laughed. That was his Oliver. The one he remembered.

"I think _I_ may puke," Thea murmured as she stared at the screen.

_Slade says he can untie him. Oliver does and asks him why he asked him to do it in the first place. Slade says a man in pain is unreliable. Slade says he was afraid he may kill him._

Diggle cocked his head to the side. There was so much of Slade in Oliver now. From what he had seen with Oliver and how he had reacted with the vertigo poisoning. From the training. And yet, after all of this, Oliver never talked about Slade.

And that made Diggle more nervous than anything.

_Oliver starts laughing and says that he's trapped on an island and his only friend is named Wilson._

Tommy laughed alongside Thea at Oliver's comment. A part of him was a little amazed at Oliver. Maybe this was shock or something like that. But, he didn't think he would be able to witness people get murdered, have to dig a bullet out of his friends arm, and still find it in him to make a damn Castaway joke.

_Oliver asks what now. Slade says he hopes he slowed Fyers down enough to stop the plan. Oliver asks what they should do. Slade says they should make sure that they don't die on the questions him, and Slade says that the person Oliver was before wouldn't have made it, but the person he is now would. They shake hands._

"Anyone wanna take bets on how long it takes before the next disaster hits?" Tommy asked, trying to break the tension in the room.

Nobody took him up on it. Shame.

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry this update took so long to get out, between summer school and other projects, I never could seem to find the time. But, I wanted to post this update! I hope everyone is doing well during this time! Special thanks to DreamCatcher06, spnfan2005, Ravinhairedvampire, Kiri Namikase, JoeyDe (!), LizaSandorthien, Supercorp Slexie 24, summernoice, and mastercheif1229 for their awesome reviews. Also, thank you so much for the follows and favorites! It honestly means so much to me and I can't thank you guys enough!**

**Stay safe and stay awesome everyone!**


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